Smith, who turns 26 this month, has never been picked as a starting full-back by his club, Harlequins, and he does not have anything like the experience of being the last line of defence as, say, Freddie Steward who wore the No 15 jersey in England’s 27-22 loss in Ireland last Saturday, or the injured George Furbank – who, if he was fit, might have started this match.
How 'brave' Fin Smith edged ahead of Marcus in England's battle for No 10
Read MoreThere were also the notably warm words Borthwick had for Northampton’s fly-half Fin Smith after his club’s Premiership final win last June, and now Fin looks set for his first Test start at No 10 – the position his namesake Marcus unapologetically loves and cherishes.
It will need the team ethic in him to be strong, and maybe in adversity if France, who beat Wales 43-0 last Friday, are in the ascendancy at Twickenham.
Marcus Smith had mixed success with the high ball against Ireland (Photo: Reuters)
There again, Borthwick is expecting France to use a very different kicking game to the Irish – probably hammering cross-kicks and low punts downfield, rather than going high.
Why England keep fading in big games - and how Borthwick can fix it
Read MoreA real plus point is that some of Marcus Smith’s best moments in attack for England come as a secondary playmaker, when he is kept out of the first wave of attack and then arrives with his foot speed and ability to break or put a teammate through a gap, either flat to the line or from a deeper position.
As the England entre Henry Slade put it on Tuesday: “It does give you an extra ball player. When you talk about moving the ball to space, it’s always better to have three people trying to do that than two.”
Fin Smith showed against Japan in November he can be a smoother ringmaster in this regard, although this week is a far greater test.
England’s Fin Smith is set for his first start at No 10 against France (Photo: PA)He could have gone outside his 36-man squad for another full-time full-back such as Joe Carpenter, Josh Hodge or Tom de Glanville, all of whom are uncapped. Max Malins is injured, Mike Brown at the end of his career, and Elliot Daly apparently not rated as a better option, either.
Ireland legend accuses England players of being 'unfit' after Six Nations loss
Read MoreBut, of course, for Borthwick to tell everyone this is under control, and all part of a masterplan of horses-for-courses selection for the French match is a lot less palatable when his England team has lost the last seven Tests against top opposition, and – including the end of Eddie Jones’s stint – 17 of the last 21 against the world’s current top six sides.
Willis would now be going head to head with the magnificent France No 8 Gregory Alldritt, a defensive master and demon attacker.
It fits a pattern of a more physical, more orthodox England for this match, which could make or break Borthwick’s tenure, and also that Fin Smith has been the coming man for a while – it’s just a big doubt that the knock-on effect on the magical Marcus is the right way to go.
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