Marcus Smith Defends George Ford After England’s Narrow Defeat to New Zealand

Fellow fly-half Marcus Smith asserted that England’s two-point defeat by New Zealand on Saturday was not entirely George Ford’s fault, despite Ford’s critical missed kicks. On Saturday against New Zealand, Ford was unable to demonstrate the form that had previously yielded him three successful drop-goals against Argentina at last year’s World Cup. Smith, aged 25, contributed 17 points and orchestrated England’s sole try before being substituted in the final quarter by the 97-cap Ford. Ford subsequently missed a potential match-winning penalty and a last-gasp drop-goal attempt. At the moment of Smith’s departure, England held an eight-point advantage. However, a try by wing Mark Tele’a, who shrugged off Ford’s attempted tackle, combined with five points from replacement Damian McKenzie, propelled the All Blacks into the lead with three minutes remaining at Allianz Stadium. Ford was presented with opportunities to shift the match back in England’s favor but could not execute the precise kicks required, as New Zealand secured a 24-22 victory. Smith, who himself experienced difficulties with kicks in the first Test loss to New Zealand in July, commented, “Sometimes that’s the life of a kicker, we’ve all experienced that. It’s part and parcel of the job.” He continued, “I’ve learned so much off George. He’s an unbelievable kicker, both off the tee and out of hand. It was one of those days.” Smith further stated, “It’s nothing to do with him why we didn’t win the game. It’s a team effort. Every kicker in the world has experienced that.” Following McKenzie’s impressive touchline conversion from Tele’a’s try, Anton Lienert-Brown committed a mistimed tackle, presenting Steve Borthwick’s home team with an opportunity to regain the lead. Ford’s subsequent penalty attempt struck the post and was then dropped by New Zealand, granting England an unforeseen second opportunity to secure the victory. However, Ford could not convert the drop-goal as the clock ran out. In March, Smith successfully executed a final-play drop-goal from a marginally closer position to overcome Grand Slam-chasing Ireland. Smith further elaborated, “As kickers we always practise the drop-goal, but it’s very different when you’re out there in front of 80,000 people and the All Blacks shouting ‘Drop-goal! Drop-goal!'” He continued, “It’s an extremely tough kick. Fordy is a master of that drop-goal kick. We go through that scenario week-in, week-out.” Smith concluded, “We practise it as kickers every single day, but sometimes it doesn’t go for you. We’re all human and people miss.” Saturday marked the first occasion since 2022 that Smith has commenced four consecutive Tests at fly-half. This follows injuries sustained by Ford and former captain Owen Farrell’s choice to withdraw from international selection by joining French club Racing 92. Despite experiencing three narrow defeats against New Zealand in these matches, the 25-year-old Harlequin expressed confidence that ample time remains for him to emulate New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter in leading his team to World Cup success. Smith added, “It’s not a coincidence that people win towards the end. Dan Carter played his first World Cup final [in 2015] at 33, sometimes it’s life.” He further commented, “International rugby is very different to the Premiership and the experiences we’re experiencing now are very painful, but we’ll be better for them.” Smith urged, “Keep the faith. We’ve fallen again on the wrong side of the result, but we’ll learn from it 100%.” He concluded, “These experiences will tighten us as a group and it will be worth it in the long run. We will be better for it.”