How did England’s Marcus Smith become Twickenham darling?

Nine of those appearances were as substitutes and three at full-back. Even when he started in his favorite No.10 jersey, he did so mostly in the shadow of Owen Farrell. He had been named as a starter in this year’s Six Nations but suffered a calf injury during a training camp in Girona, meaning George Ford started in his place. When Smith returned to Japan and New Zealand for his summer tour, It was in Ford’s absence. For Ford, the feeling that he was only keeping the No. 10 jersey warm was not helped by missing eight points from the starting spot in the first 16-15 defeat against New Zealand.

He shone against Australia at scrum-half

If the English jury had once rejected Smith, they now began deliberating and in the 62nd minute of the match England’s loss to Australia decided unanimously. There were boos in the Allianz Stadium when Ford appeared on the sidelines. The crowd’s disapproval stemmed not from Ford’s introduction, but from the possibility of Smith’s removal.

In the event, a mutiny was averted with Smith moving to full-back, where he continues to shine. At times it felt like England’s attack had been reduced to an Under-12 game where you give the ball to your best player and expect him to do something. That’s exactly what Smith did. He had a hand in all five of England’s tries against Australia and was clearly the toast of Twickenham despite the result.

Watching from afar, Harlequins coach Nick Evans has noticed a noticeable difference in Smith’s performance this fall. “He seems a lot more comfortable playing the way he wants to,” Evans said. “To be him in the England jersey, rather than trying to be someone else or thinking he should play differently.”

Evans can directly relate to Smith’s experience. He spent much of his international career backing up All Blacks great Dan Carter. It can be difficult to grow saplings in the shade of tall oak trees such as Carter and Farrell. When Farrell decided to move to France, the light Smith needed to thrive suddenly appeared.

“Faz was an absolute stalwart in England rugby and, as someone who played over 100 Tests, he deserves all the accolades he received,” Evans said. “He deserves a big role in Marcus’ development at international level. Marcus has the opportunity to take on this role when he chooses to move later. And that’s what he does.”

This is also reflected in statistics compiled by Opta Sports, which show Smith topping the charts among first-tier flight halves in terms of try assists, try tackles and kicks from 50-22 in 2024. The bench for the last two games of the Six Nations.