Andrew Strawbridge Highlights Marcus Smith’s Growing Game Understanding

Marcus Smith has established himself as England’s starting fly-half for the current Autumn Nations Series. Assistant coach Andrew Strawbridge states that the 25-year-old fly-half is improving his integration with the rest of England’s attack. England is set to play Japan on Sunday, 24 November, at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, with a kick-off time of 16:10 GMT. Coverage will include live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, as well as live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. Smith has been a notable performer for England during their three Autumn Nations Series defeats against New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. Despite Smith’s attacking creativity and precise kicking from the tee, England is currently experiencing its worst sequence of results since 2018, having suffered five consecutive defeats. “I have found Marcus really open to discussions about the game,” Strawbridge told BBC Sport. “He is getting better and better at having a deeper understanding of the game and his role in it.” Since making his Premiership debut for Harlequins at the age of 18, Smith’s consistently impressive performances led many to advocate for him as England’s long-term fly-half option. Now with 38 caps, he has started six Tests consecutively for the first time since 2022; however, five of these matches have ended in losses, with four decided in the final play. England’s initial try on Saturday against South Africa occurred when Smith chose not to attempt a drop-goal, instead darting to the blindside and setting up Ollie Sleightholme for a score in the corner. Strawbridge affirms that England’s offensive strategy accommodates such spontaneous actions and also expresses confidence in Smith’s improving game management. “In some environments I have been in we put all the pressure on the 10 like a quarterback in American Football – they make all the decisions, the calls and the plays. That isn’t the case here,” he added. “We are spreading the decision-making and we are trying to sharpen that edge. Marcus’ decisions are within that structure.” Strawbridge joined England’s coaching staff full-time in April, following a four-week period as a consultant in the camp during the Six Nations. The last occasion England endured five straight losses was under Eddie Jones, who will return to face his former employers on Sunday as the coach of Japan. Having previously beaten Jones’ team by 35 points in June – their most recent victory – England enters the upcoming match as strong favourites to conclude their losing streak. “We have had growth this campaign,” Strawbridge added. “I get people from the outside finding that hard to believe, but this is a further opptortunity for us consolidate some of our practices in seeing things and executing things.” “This is a step, not a launching pad or a saving grace, in the development of a good, good Test team.”