When you come into a much-changed team as a young No 10, the temptation is to think you have to do something amazing to show why you’ve been given the shirt.
It’s exactly what I did when I started my career with Wales. In my first few games, I felt I had to live up to my rivals like Stephen Jones. In 2009, we played Samoa at home and things began well when I put in a perfect cross-kick to Leigh Halfpenny who scored. The BBC report of that game said I made a ‘stunning’ start! But it didn’t last.
After that, I wanted to try and keep delivering X-Factor moments, when what I should have done was just focus on doing the basics well. Instead, I forced things and made errors as a result. I threw a pass which was intercepted by Seilala Mapusua and we only won 17-13 in a nervy, scrappy game.
When he starts for England against Italy on Saturday, I’d urge Fin Smith to learn from my mistakes. Not that I think he’ll need to listen to me because knowing Fin as I do, he’s a confident yet very level-headed player.
There’ll be a lot of pressure on him and England this weekend. The truth is this is a game Steve Borthwick simply can’t afford to lose. But I think Fin’s composed character means he can thrive, even if he is surrounded by unfamiliar faces.
I must admit I’m surprised Borthwick has made so many changes. It’s 12 in total from the team beaten by Ireland, with nine personnel switches and three positional.
Fin Smith has been handed the keys at No 10 for England when they travel to Italy on Saturday
Smith should avoid doing what I did for Wales in 2009 during a nervy win over Samoa
It’s behind the scrum where I’m most interested, for obvious reasons. Bringing in a whole new back-line is something I never experienced in the Six Nations. In my career, Warren Gatland would often make a lot of changes for an autumn game with a so-called ‘tier two’ nation or at a World Cup, but never for a big Championship match.
That’s why Borthwick’s call for Italy is so significant. When you play in a team that has had mass rotation, there’s an understandable edge to the environment in the training week.
As players, you don’t really need to be told much because if a coach makes 12 changes, it’s pretty clear what they think! It’s at that point you can fall into the trap of getting overexcited. In their defeats by Scotland and Ireland, England have started really poorly.
They can’t afford to do that again, even if it would be understandable as lots of new combinations can lead to rust. This is where Fin’s role at fly-half is absolutely vital.
There’s no point in Fin trying to play like George Ford. If Fin has a six-or-a-seven-out-of-10 performance, England win the game. That might sound like a negative outlook, but for him it’s about doing the simple things well. Fin is brilliant at that.
His best attribute is fishing opposition defenders out of the line and creating space for the backs outside him. He does that by providing more of a running threat than Ford. It’s not a criticism of Ford at all, but Fin challenges the line more.
He runs at the inside shoulder of the opposition defence. That means they have to be aware Fin might run himself, which often causes at least one – or sometimes two – defenders to focus on him and get narrow. That creates space for others and Fin is a master at maximising that, either through his short- or long-range passing or with the boot.
He’s also a far stronger defender than Ford. Let’s not forget either that Fin isn’t a rookie. He impressed in last year’s Six Nations and then went on the Lions tour to Australia which, if anything, actually set him back. Fin hasn’t actually done anything wrong to lose the England fly-half shirt.
What I think will help him no end against Italy is the fact he has Ben Spencer and Elliot Daly alongside him. Spencer is arguably the best kicking No 9 in Europe and Daly is hugely experienced and very good tactically. Both provide left-foot kicking options too.
Of course, Fin will have to kick too. But I think his main focus can be on bringing the best out of Seb Atkinson and Tommy Freeman alongside him. If I were in his shoes this weekend, my first aim would be to play the opening 20 minutes with next to no errors. If he and England can do that, they’ll be in the contest – something which hasn’t happened in the past two games.
Against both Scotland and Ireland, England came up against two desperate teams who had big points to prove. This weekend, the boot is on the other foot. England are the ones with their backs to the wall and need to come out swinging. I think that will suit them, though the challenge Borthwick and his squad will have to handle is getting their new combinations up to speed as quickly as possible.
England head coach Steve Borthwick has made 12 changes to his side from the Ireland defeat
Any unfamiliarity will lead to mistakes which will soon be badly exposed. Italy are at the other end of the spectrum to England in that their likely team will be packed full of tried-and-tested combinations. That is summed up best by their centre pairing of Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello.
England have never lost to Italy. But I think if you made a combined English-Italian XV from the players on show this weekend, you could make a good argument that at least six or seven of them would be from the Azzurri. I don’t think you’ve ever been able to say that before. Italy will never have a better chance of beating England.
This is a monumental game for Borthwick, Fin and England. If they lose, the ramifications could be huge. But so long as Fin and his team don’t overplay their hand – as I did in the past – then I think England will do just enough to return to winning ways. Maybe part of that is because I can’t imagine the alternative!
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