Dan Biggar urges on Steve Borthwick to make a courageous choice in fly-half position for All Blacks series.
Toulon and former Wales fly-half Dan Biggar has weighed in on who should wear the number 10 shirt for England in the forthcoming mid-year Tests against the All Blacks.
The Red Rose will go to New Zealand to play a two-Test series against the All Blacks, with games set at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on July 6 and Eden Park in Auckland the following week.
With Saracens and former England captain Owen Farrell no longer eligible for Test selection due to his impending move to Top 14 outfit Racing 92, Harlequins’ Marcus Smith, Northampton Saints’ Fin Smith, and Sale Sharks’ George Ford are expected to compete for England’s number 10 jersey.
George Ford is not out of the picture
While Ford is anticipated to be included in the selection process, Biggar believes England coach Steve Borthwick will have to pick between the two Smiths when deciding who will play fly-half against the All Blacks.
“Does he throw Fin Smith into the deep end during a Test series in New Zealand? Or does he go with someone like Marcus, who has a little more experience at that level, and hope they compliment each other extremely well?” he told The Rugby Pod.
“For me, at this point in time, they’re both playing for successful club teams, and they’re both so confident, so I don’t believe it matters who plays 10 for England right now.
“They compliment each other very well, much like Owen and George did in their heyday.
“If it were up to me, I’d probably remain with Fin for the moment. I would offer him the opportunity to compete against the best in the world in one of the most challenging environments to win rugby matches.
“With Marcus’ ability to come off the bench, read the game, to challenge defences when they’re a little more tired, as well as his ability to cover full-back as well.”
Biggar, who played 116 international games for Wales and four for the British and Irish Lions between 2008 and 2023 before retiring from Test rugby after last year’s Rugby World Cup in France, believes Fin Smith’s superior game management puts him in a good position to start at fly-half in the first Test in Dunedin.
“If you look at both the pros and cons for Marcus and Fin, Fin’s ability to manage a game is probably slightly ahead of Marcus’ in how structured Northampton play,” he stated.
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“He’s getting more practice being in those spots, in those close games when things aren’t as chaotic and loose as when the Quins play.
“For me, Fin’s ability to bring others into play is quite important. When you look at Owen and George in the context of England’s recent decade of play, it’s not so much their individual skill as their ability to pull others into the game.
“Your Vunipolas and Manu Tuilagis should get the best of those guys, which is exactly what Fin is doing right now.
“For me, Fin’s game-management is probably slightly ahead of Marcus’ at this moment, even though Marcus has dramatically improved in that area.”
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Despite this, the 34-year-old believes Marcus Smith and his exceptional skill set will continue to play a role for England in the series, particularly when matches are close.
“If you’re looking at someone who’s going to produce moments of magic, moments of brilliance, potentially win you games in a tight game, you look at someone like Marcus Smith and you won’t go far wrong,” Biggar stated.
“His ability to see space, his ability to beat defenders, his ability to move the game around and challenge defences all over the park is something very, very special.”
Game-planning is a crucial element.
Biggar also feels that Borthwick’s game plan against the All Blacks will have a significant impact on who wears the Red Rose number 10 jersey.
“How do they play?” How do they want to play? The way they performed during the World Cup suggests that someone like Fin Smith would be a better fit in terms of being very organized, disciplined, strengthening their kicking game, and pushing the line,” he continued.
“But the way that they played in the last couple of Six Nations games, you would have to say that someone like Marcus comes into play with his amazing footwork, amazing speed and amazing box of tricks.”
