Marcus Smith: Anatomy of a Try vs Japan June 2024 

To be fair to him, you can only play against what's in front of you, but it's still a well constructed score - defensively Japan actually had a better tackle completion % than England but they definitely won't be getting this space against NZ.

Very negative. It’s a set play designed to create space. It worked against Japan. Look at Marcus Smiths try scoring record compared to Farrell and Ford. He’s already overtaken both of them so we should see this for what it is. A masterclass in playmaking.

Tom Joyce, I take the criticism and perhaps my comment is a bit negative. Yes it is a nicely constructed play but I wouldn't be expecting scores off first phase against NZ, SA, France, Ireland and the likes. People get very excited about Smith, he is a very flash player and has an abundance of talent but the way he plays is also limited. He unpicks weak oppositions with ease but gets destroyed against top tier defence. Can he step up, time will tell. What probably gets under some people's skin is also that the bloke is a 10. His job for the most part isn't to score trys it's to make them. He needs to run a back line, control the field and make space. If he wants to spend the day running he'd be better off at 15 or even on the wing.

@@donalmilmo-penny3085 Just look at who Smith has played against and beaten. The only missing team he hasn’t beaten is NZ. He’s got two assists and a try in a 15 minute spell, he’s guided his team to win a premiership and he doesn’t have a monster pack to sit behind. Harlequins can’t out muscle the likes of Saries so they have to play at pace. When was the last time you saw Owen Farrell play like that?

​@@tomjoyce6365mate no offence but Premiership isn't the top flight rugby I'm talking about. At that level he's awesome and I'd pick him every day.

That’s fair enough.

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