March 15, 2025
England exceeds Marcus Smith for bench while Henry Slade has ax for Italy Clash

England exceeds Marcus Smith for bench while Henry Slade has ax for Italy Clash

Marcus Smith is missing the departure side of England to face Italy (Getty Images)

Marcus Smith is missing the departure side of England to face Italy (Getty Images)

England’s head coach Steve Barthwick dropped Marcus Smith on the bench for the confrontation of the Six Nations with Italy, Henry Slade also missing in a refreshed back line.

Smith had started the last 10 tests of England, including the last two at the rear of the rear with the end Smith was brought to the Barthwick team in Fly Half.

But before the round of the round four at the Allianz stadium, Twickenham, the Harlequin falls on the bench while the veteran Elliot Daly receives a reminder alongside departure.

Fraser Dingwall, meanwhile, intervenes for Slade in the centers, and the hooker Jamie George is promoted to the departure Hooker’s shirt on the occasion of his 100th cap.

“I can’t wait to see Marcus Smith enter the match against tiring defenders,” said Barthwick. “I think it will be impatient from that. I think you will have seen the impact that Elliot Daly had out of the bench during recent games.

“I am delighted to see Fraser leave. He was a high level artist coherent in the first.

“He played well for us at the beginning of last year and worked hard for an opportunity. Fraser is a really smart player. He’s a really intelligent rugby player.

“And I think he is doing that other players around him play better because of his presence. This is the type of player he is. It does a lot of this invisible work.

“And that’s what I ask him to do this weekend in England.”

The front pack is also unchanged from the one that started against Scotland, with Tom Willis on the right track after a concussion and Tom Curry in shape after suffering from a dead leg in the Calcutta Cup confrontation.

Barthwick again opts for a division of six attackers with two files, with Scrum Half Jack Van Poortvliet joining Marcus Smith to provide coverage behind the fray.

Although he has been a faithful in the squads since, and presents himself regularly on the wing, Daly has been selected to start back backwards for the first time since the six nations 2021. He was often deployed for the Saracens this season.

England XV to face Italy at the Allianz stadium, Twickenham (3 p.m. GMT, Sunday March 9): 1 Ellis Genge; 2 Jamie George, 3 Will Stuart; 4 Maro Itoje (Capt.), 5 Ollie Chessum; 6 Tom Curry, 7 Ben Earl, 8 Tom Willis; 9 Alex Mitchell, 10 end Smith; 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 14 Tommy Freeman; 15 Elliot Daly.

Substitutes: 16 Luke Cowan-Dick, 17 end Baxter, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Ted Hill, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Ben Curry; 22 Jack Van Poortvliet, 23 Marcus Smith.

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