Legendary centre Jeremy Guscott believes that Marcus Smith will struggle to crack the British and Irish Lions squad in his preferred position and weighs in on the prospects of France-based players.<\/b><\/p>\n
Smith has switched between fly-half and full-back for England recently, surrendering the starting number 10 jersey to Northampton Saints star Fin Smith.<\/p>\n
Marcus started the opening game of the Six Nations at fly-half before featuring at full-back for the next two matches and the last while coming off the bench in the third fixture.<\/p>\n
Guscott<\/a> has the Lions<\/a> as favourites for three-Test series against the Wallabies<\/a> in Australia later this year, even with the combined strength of England, Ireland and Scotland, with Wales providing a \u201csmall contingent\u201d.<\/p>\n Finn Russell in the driving seat<\/p>\n One concern for the Lions legend is whether some of the Ireland stars are \u201cover the hill\u201d, but he backs head coach Andy Farrell to make those judgment calls.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Irish not meeting Grand Slam expectations, and finishing third in the Six Nations table, clouds selection a bit because Farrell knows how good they can be, but also has to read whether some of them are over the hill,\u201d he wrote in his latest Rugby Paper column.<\/p>\n \u201cThat takes good judgement, and the same applies to the pecking order at fly-half.\u201d<\/p>\n For Guscott, Finn Russell is in the \u201cdriving-seat\u201d for the number 10 jersey as one of four world-class players available to Farrell along with Maro Itoje, Tadhg Furlong and Dan Sheehan.<\/p>\n However, Marcus Smith<\/a> is further down in the pecking order according to the former England centre.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen enough of Fin Smith to say that he can live in a Test environment, and is the next in line,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was England\u2019s established 10 at the end of the Six Nations, and Marcus Smith is now the back-up. Sam Prendergast is inexperienced, but there are many who\u2019ve seen more of Prendergast than me who argue that he\u2019s ready.<\/p>\n \u201cMy sense is that Marcus Smith will find it hard to make the squad purely as a 10, with Prendergast, Jack Crowley, George Ford, and possibly Owen Farrell, also in the frame.\u201d<\/p>\n \ud83e\udd81\u00a0 Mike Tindall worried Marcus Smith has \u2018killed\u2019 Lions chances after being put in \u2018tricky spot\u2019 by Steve Borthwick<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \ud83e\udd81\u00a0\u00a0Jeremy Guscott reveals the England snub he \u2018would definitely pick\u2019 for the Lions and the star who \u2018cannot be ignored\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n