The 2026 Six Nations threatens to go down as a complete bust for England. And for Marcus Smith, it could be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
The Harlequins hero will appear off the bench for the fourth time in this year’s tournament when Steve Borthwick’s side look to salvage some success from Saturday’s trip to France. All of Smith’s three appearances so far in this year’s Six Nations have been as a substitute, the most recent of which was an almost insulting six-minute cameo in the historic defeat by Italy just after Leonardo Marin had scored the deciding try. A shock result at the Stade de France is the only thing standing between the Red Rose and utter capitulation, with the country on the verge of finishing a Six Nations with just one win for the first time.
One might think a change of tack from the playbook that got them to this point might therefore be recommended, a rotation in personnel, or a Hail Mary attempt to rewrite the script in the face of their French oppressors.
Yet Borthwick has made just one change to the team that lost in Rome last weekend – and it doesn’t involve Smith. Ollie Chessum’s move to the back row at the expense of Sam Underhill is apparently the only change England need to reverse the ignominy racked up by a Six Nations that looks destined to end in a historically poor fifth-place finish.
It begs the question as to what role Smith actually serves in the current administration. If one of the most electric playmakers of this England generation – a dynamo who routinely turns games almost at whim for his club – can’t get a start under the current circumstances, when will he?
Smith’s ongoing omission is symptomatic of a fear of the unknown that has become endemic in English rugby over the past 20 years. Not even the Quins flyer necessarily knows what he’s going to do next on the field, and it’s that ability to thrive in the chaos and operate off the cuff with such nonchalance that first forged his England career.
Danny Cipriani’s international career was infamously limited, largely due to the same apprehension that often accompanied his unpredictability. Yet he still had the nous to bail ex-England coach Eddie Jones out in a 25-10 win over South Africa back in 2018.
Of course, Cipriani had other off-field factors and such affecting his favourability with certain coaches over the course of his career. Smith doesn’t carry any of that excess baggage, as far as can be gauged from the outside, and still he’s overlooked.
Instead, England would prefer to focus on the known and roadmap as much of a game as possible. The kick-heavy strategy that better suits fly-half options like George Ford or Fin Smith was good enough to amass a 12-win streak up until February, after all, but has unravelled in calamitous fashion over the past month.
Having celebrated his 27th birthday last month, Smith is at a juncture in his career where he has to start thinking about the end game and what he wants from his remaining years. There are fans who have called for Borthwick to be removed as head coach now, less than 18 months from the 2027 Rugby World Cup, but the RFU has reaffirmed its commitment despite the landmark Italy defeat.
By the time Borthwick’s era is over, Smith will be approaching 29 and not necessarily any richer as far as his England career is concerned. Perhaps England’s world-beating pool of talent has left some with the impression players like Smith can be recreated, though any Quins supporter watching his craft with regularity will inform otherwise.
There’s also the fact that Smith has spoken of his desire to represent his birth country, the Philippines, at some point before he calls time on his career. For many, the allure of an England career, even one spent largely on the bench, would be enough of a carrot to keep them committed, though that’s not necessarily guaranteed in Smith’s case.
“One day I’d love to help and be involved in Philippine rugby — my brother currently plays for the Philippines,” he recently said during a Reddit Q&A. “Right now, my heart and mind are fully with England. It’s a dream to wear this kit.
“But one day that might be different … if the chance comes and my body holds up, it would be amazing to play alongside my younger brothers.”
That’s not to suggest Manila-born Smith has any intention of packing up his Twickenham locker and leaving tomorrow. But it does provide some insight as to the kind of aspiration that could dig a deeper deposit in the back of his mind should his time in the wilderness continue.
Both of Smith’s main rivals for England’s No 10 jersey, Ford and Northampton namesake Fin, have made mistakes en route to Saturday’s underwhelming Six Nations crescendo. The former was Man of the Match in the week one win over Wales but was dropped following losses to Scotland and Ireland, while the latter’s only start ended in Roman torment.
For too long, Borthwick and England have appeared intent on wanting to find the next Jonny Wilkinson, a fly-half they can hang their hat on long term.
That’s the ideal outcome, of course, but when a generational star of such stature doesn’t simply emerge, the onus lies with coaches to adapt based on the opposition and accept that the same strategy won’t work week in, week out.
In that sense, Smith’s spontaneity could have been the ideal tonic to unsettle the Irish at Twickenham or make more of a dent against Italy than his six minutes on the field allowed.
Despite once being heralded as England’s saviour, the best years of his Test career are at risk of fizzling out on the sidelines as the Red Rose is pricked by its refusal to learn from past mistakes.