Wallabies head coach, Eddie Jones, has made a surprising statement regarding Marcus Smith’s selection for England, claiming that Steve Borthwick was coerced into picking the Harlequins flyhalf.
“The selection of Marcus, to me, that’s always the political selection,” Jones said.
“A player has been out of form, hasn’t quite done well at Test level, and then he plays one or two club games, and he’s a hero.
“The media starts banging on the door – ‘you’ve got to pick him’ – and then the board reacts to that, and ask: ‘Why aren’t you picking him?’ When you’re a young coach at the start of your career, you can get influenced by that.
“I really felt for Marcus in that game [against France]. The thing you’ve got in England is the intenseness of the media, which then affects the board, and they start to step in, and that’s when you get problems. Allow the coach to coach.
“The board have a strategic role, but because they feel the pressure, they try to get involved in the operational side, and that’s when things get worse.
“Unless you have strong people around the team, that can be a difficulty.”
The claims of the board influencing Borthwick’s decision were denied by an RFU spokesperson.
“Team selection is entirely Steve’s decision as England head coach,”
“It’s personal” – Five players who won’t play for England again under Steve Borthwick
Steve Borthwick has been brutal In his short time in charge of England, dropping a number of major stars ahead of the 2023 Six Nations.
Below, we look at three established stars who are unlikely to win another cap.
#1. Joe Marler
Age: 32
Position: Loosehead-prop
Caps: 83
Marler is unlikely to return to the England team during the 2023 Six Nations after he breached one of Steve Borthwick’s main rules.
The new England boss has a “no sh**talking policy” with England, whereby he expects players to behave appropriately on the pitch.
As a result, Marler was left out of the Six Nations squad despite his fine form with Harlequins this season.
Marler’s latest ban was for six weeks – four of them suspended – after accepting a charge regarding comments made to Bristol flanker Jake Heenan about his mother.
At this stage, an international return looks very unlikely.
DID YOU KNOW? Marler started his career at Haywards Heath RFC in Sussex where he played in the same side as fellow England international Billy Twelvetrees