Simon Zebo warns Ireland of England’s ‘special player’ who ‘can go to another level’ in the Six Nations
Former Ireland flyer Simon Zebo and England fly-half Marcus Smith.
Former Ireland star Simon Zebo has warned his old team are up against a “special player” in Marcus Smith – and insists Steve Borthwick has his fly-half selection spot on.
Zebo admits to some anxiety looking ahead to tomorrow’s Six Nations showdown at the Aviva. “England are going to be slippery, very dangerous opposition,” he says. “You write them off at your peril.”
In Smith, he adds, they have a playmaker capable of reaching such heights that “this could be the championship England quieten a few of their critics.”
Ireland fans will need no reminding the Harlequins ace played the role of super sub at Twickenham last year, coming off the bench late on to drop the goal which condemned the world’s then top-ranked side to a shock defeat.
Since then, however, England have beaten only Japan with him at stand-off and slumped to seventh in the world rankings, prompting calls for Northampton’s Fin Smith to be given the keys to No 10.
The 22-year old steered Saints to Premiership glory in June and his club half-back partner Alex Mitchell is already England’s first-choice nine.
Zebo, one of rugby’s great entertainers in a playing career which spanned 35 Ireland caps across six years, understands the excitement about Fin Smith and offers a fascinating insight into his ability.
But when it comes to an either/or between him and Marcus, the Munsterman comes down emphatically on the side of the other Smith.
‘I hope he gets full backing from Borthwick’
“Marcus is a special player, really good, super entertaining,” he says. “Much as I’m an Ireland fan, I hope he gets full backing from Borthwick in this championship.
“Now I wouldn’t want to take away from Fin Smith because I’ve played against him a couple of times and have really enjoyed that challenge. He’s so smart for such a young player, how he dictates the game.
“As a fullback you always have a battle with the out-halves in terms of kick coverage, painting different pictures and trying to manipulate front line and back field.
“That little game of chess I had with Fin was really interesting. High level stuff. A real mental battle. I came away from it thinking he has a very good rugby IQ and can be a top class international.
“He’s young and his form has been brilliant, but there is a man in Marcus Smith who I believe deserves more credit than he potentially gets.”
Zebo continues: “Some of the things Marcus has done over the years have been amazing. He’s still considered by many to be this flamboyant, flashy young thing, but actually he’s a proven, proven top quality player.
“I’d like to see him given the full championship as starting fly-half. Some players embrace being number one and I feel if Marcus gets that full backing he can go to another level.”
Don’t expect this selection to be the end of the matter, as one call never settled the issue between Rob Andrew and Stuart Barnes, or Owen Farrell and George Ford. To this day those debates are ongoing.
Listen to Fraser Dingwall’s assessment and it is clear the current contenders have the tools, and the points of difference, to push each other for years to come.
“They are very different players,” Saints’ England centre told BBC Radio Northampton. “Marcus has this natural ability to break lines and take people on himself. He sees opportunities slightly differently to Fin. Fin will do it as a unit, while Marcus has the ability to do it on his own, which is very impressive.
“If I was to play with Fin, I know that he would allow everyone else to come into the game. His ability to see space for others is the cool thing. Playing with Marcus you are probably thinking more about how you can create opportunities for him.”
Ireland has had its own No.10 soap opera filling column inches for weeks and months in the Emerald Isle, Leinster’s Sam Prendergast getting the nod over Jack Crowley, who steered the men in green to the title a year ago.
Like the Smiths, both are young men in form. Zebo admits he thought Crowley, 25, would prevail based on his experience, Prendergast being four years younger and yet to make his Six Nations debut.
‘What an exciting talent’
But he adds: “Sam is living up to the hype around him, for sure. What an exciting talent. His skillset stands him out from the rest of the crowd. His variation of passing – long pass, short pass – just the accuracy around what he’s doing. He seems to have extra time on the ball.”
There remains every chance Crowley or Fin Smith will still emerge as the match winner, so strong are the two benches. It is inconceivable the second half cavalry won’t have a major bearing on the outcome.
“I don’t think England will be as poor as they have been over the last few games,” Zebo says. “Ireland will want to make a statement, that this is our title to defend. There’s definitely a confidence there.
“In the same breath I don’t think they’ve been firing as well as we’re used to seeing. Their attack hasn’t been as impressive in unblocking defences with those fancy intricate shapes.
“And England are slowly building their form and have a lot of very good young players coming through. It has the makings of a cracker.”
Simon Zebo is part of the commentary team for Premier Sports, the new home of the Investec Champions Cup across the UK and Ireland. Visit premiersports.tv to sign up
