Rugby World Cup winner Mike Tindall admits that Marcus Smith could have harmed both his Lions and England hopes looking ahead to the Australia tour.
The Harlequins star was one of the best fly-halves in the world in 2024 and looked nailed on to be in Andy Farrell’s squad for the trip Down Under.
However, after starting England’s opening match of the Six Nations against Ireland, Smith was shifted to full-back by Steve Borthwick and played the rest of the tournament in that position.
It yielded mixed results and there are concerns that the 26-year-old could now be overlooked by the Lions, particularly in the 10 jersey.
Equally, it may well not be doing his overall Test prospects any good post the Wallabies series with Borthwick not wholly trusting him in the key decision-making role.
Smith has ‘got to be careful’
“Marcus is getting into that place where he’s got to be careful,” Tindall said on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast.
“I’d hate to be in this position as a player where you want to play 10 but they’re offering you another spot somewhere else and you take it, but at the same time if [George] Furbank comes back, he’s probably not going to be that option at full-back.
“You’ve then killed yourself at 10 because you haven’t cemented that spot there. It’s a really tricky place. He’s still the best player in attack we’ve (England) got – he makes the most amount of yards, line breaks, everything else – so I feel he needs to be in the team.
“But if he’s not going to be 10, he can’t just bounce around the field. Fin Smith’s proved he’s going to go further in this competition (Investec Champions Cup), so that’s only going to elevate him.”
Before the Champions Cup resumed, Fin Smith performed impressively at fly-half during the Six Nations and moved himself up the pecking order, while there are other options Farrell will consider.
Finn Russell is an almost certainty to go while Sam Prendergast knows the attacking structures that will likely be in place after becoming Ireland’s first choice.
Prendergast also won the head-to-head duel against Marcus Smith when Leinster hammered Harlequins 62-0 in the Champions Cup round-of-16 last weekend.
And although Tindall still believes that Farrell will pick the 26-year-old on the tour, his chances of being a Test starter, which many thought he could be, is potentially diminishing by the week.
“I think Marcus is still going to be okay because he fits into that utility role, which I think could get him on the tour, but as a 10 he’s probably going to slip down the rankings,” the England great said.
“For the bigger picture it then becomes very tricky if you don’t say: ‘I’m a 10, I’m not moving’. Rugby’s about team players who just want to play and be on the field and does what’s right for the team.
“It’s a real tricky spot for him. We’ve all known those players who have moved around just to make sure they were in that England team but then they sort of get lost in between where they want to play. It’s difficult for him.”
‘Ideal’ Lions player
Should Smith manage to sneak in, however, then Tindall sees him as someone who would thrive in that environment.
“I do think Marcus fits into that Lions mould because of his attacking capability and just getting himself in games. I think he does fit into that Lions mould,” he added.
“A lot of the time, it’s just getting your hands on the ball and trying, and things will come off. He’s that type of player which things do come off for.
“He would fit into that ideal blend for a Lions tourist. You still don’t have enough time to bring everything together so you need people who want to get involved and don’t need structure. I don’t necessarily think he needs structure.
“You compare that to a Prendergast where I think he needs a bit of structure around him and he needs to know what he’s doing, and be able to organise.
“It’s food for thought for Mr Farrell.”