England boss Steve Borthwick has sprung a surprise in selection by dropping Marcus Smith to accommodate the likely return of George Ford against France.
Smith has been left out of a 26-man training squad for this week’s camp in Brighton having begun the Guinness Six Nations as starting fly-half before spending rounds two and three on the bench.
It is possible that the 24-year-old will miss out on facing France on Saturday week and Ireland on March 18 altogether with Borthwick now having the option of revisiting the Ford-Owen Farrell creative axis that has worked for England in the past.
Ford enjoyed one of his most successful seasons working under Borthwick before England’s new head coach left his post as Tigers boss for Twickenham in December.
