My open letter to English rugby about Fin Smith ...Middle East

Dear England rugby fans, media and Steve Borthwick,

Can we please not do with Fin Smith what we are in the process of doing with Marcus Smith?

What we did with George Ford after his missed drop goal against New Zealand, with Owen Farrell before him, with Danny Cipriani and Shane Geraghty and Toby Flood before him.

This is a lineage of ritualistic sacrifice stretching all the way back to Jonny Wilkinson – possibly the last time we were contented, and only then due to the Webb Ellis trophy.

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Can we not hype up these young players to only to eviscerate them later? Can we find space for a bit of nuance, please?

England’s 26-25 victory over France was stunning, mostly in the ferocity with which England’s defence stopped France getting going and forced them into uncharacteristic mistakes.

This was a semi-fortunate, defence-first, narrow victory, which should be heralded more for its grit and determination than for its showmanship.

Fin Smith somehow receiving Man of the Match for one lovely, kicked try assist, nine tackles and a pass to Elliot Daly on a set play is a worrying portent that we are going full circle once again. This is Step 1 of English rugby’s “Eating our Young” playbook.

As Daly touched down and Allianz Stadium erupted, nuance evaporated in the haze of spilled pints. “England are world beaters, I’ve never rated Antoine Dupont, actually, Fin Smith is clear of Marcus Smith, who should never pull on an England shirt again after missing two place kicks… in fact I’ll tweet that.” Many did.

Can we all just calm down a bit, please? That is likely to be Dupont’s, and France’s, worst game for a while. A greasy ball in hand, they struggled with a strong England rush defence in their face.

Marcus missed two important kicks, but he is not selected by England or Harlequins for his clutch kicking off the tee. He is selected for his gifted ability to beat defenders and unpick defences multiple times a game. He isn’t comfortable under the high ball at 5ft 9in and never plays full-back for Quins and so was out of position on Saturday.

Can we all show some restraint and not rush to gleefully condemn a mixed performance? One rugby commentator couldn’t wait to use the words “woeful” and “dire” in his 4/10 player rating of Marcus in the Sunday papers, questioning why England’s standout player of the autumn had yet to be ejected from the squad in the spring.

Fin, until his wonderful chip in the 58th minute, had barely touched the ball. This was an extremely solid debut as he grew into the game, but the man is 22 years old. Can we please not judge him immediately on his ability to deliver a Six Nations title in his first few starts? Can we all not suddenly place the burden of victory week-in-week-out on such young shoulders?

Let him grow and make mistakes – he will. Fin undoubtedly announced himself as England’s best option in difficult conditions on Saturday. But it remains to be seen if he can create three line breaks a Test on a sunny day, so there may be games that do not suit his exquisite skills.

But equally it is unfair to judge him purely on those deficiencies as it is to judge Marcus on his kicking. Players have limitations, it’s a trade-off. Can we not enjoy both?

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South Africa deploy their wealth of options at fly-half depending on circumstances and don’t castigate and eulogise every game. New Zealand rotated for years between Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo’unga and Damian McKenzie, acknowledging their varying skillsets.

France will not be tearing down Dupont, Thomas Ramos and Matthieu Jalibert as failures unworthy of the shirt after a poor performance (OK, they may a little). Ireland are currently trying to manage a rotation among some promising young fly-halves. English rugby should attempt to learn the same patience with their emerging talents.

Until we do, I fear England will never have the strength-in-depth and tactical flexibility that makes for truly daunting opposition. I also worry that our collective eagerness to tear down our idols will create a culture of fear in an England shirt.

English rugby won’t thrive until we are supportive – or at least respectful – of players and coaches throughout the bad results as well as the good.

The public demand for results created by RFU chief Bill Sweeney’s eye-watering pay packet and triple-figure ticket costs means that the first thing Borthwick does every post-match interview is to thank the fans for their wonderful support.

I hope we can get to a point where he can say the same, hand on heart, after Fin’s first mixed performance in an England shirt.

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