Smith kept up his end of the bargain, and in some style, by putting Exeter to the sword in Saturday’s 40-5 Premiership thrashing, and now Borthwick has followed suit.
The new England boss has lived up to his word, by picking Smith to start at fly-half against Les Bleus at Twickenham on Saturday.
Borthwick took a calculated gamble by releasing Smith from England’s training camp last week, where featuring for Quins carried obvious injury risk. Smith was the sole member of England’s matchday 23 from the 20-10 Six Nations win over Wales to play for his club last weekend.
Harlequins thumped Exeter at Twickenham in front of a 55,000 crowd amid a stellar Smith performance, with the 24-year-old fly-half taking that feel-good factor straight back to the Test set-up.
Quins head coach Tabai Matson believes Borthwick’s honesty and candour are already becoming a crucial feature in his nascent England tenure.
“Steve is really transparent, and for the environment he wants to create, that level of honesty, the players love that,” Matson told Standard Sport.
This story is from the March 09, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 09, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Restaurants boosted by record monthly fall in costs
THE painful rise in London restaurant bills over recent years is set to ease finally after a key measure of hospitality industry cost inflation today showed the biggest month-on-month fall ever recorded.
Kulusevski: We need to adopt Arsenal’s big-game mentality
DEJAN KULUSEVSKI has admitted Tottenham are lacking Arsenal's maturity and mentality.
RAYA: SHOWED MY CHARACTER AFTER HOWLER
KEEPER SAYS HE RESPONDED IN BEST WAY TO GIFTING GOAL, AS ARTETA CLAIMS HE IS LUCKY’ TO HAVE HIM
Haaland tells City to enjoy thrill of the chase as they stay in title hunt
WITH one ruthless, clinical finish from Erling Haaland, Manchester City showed why they remain favourites to pip Arsenal to secure a record fourth successive title.
Vunipola’s last hurrah with Saracens now under threat
Star’s arrest for assault in Majorca means he could have played final game for club
Kimpton Fitzroy London: blending luxury with heart in Bloomsbury
A 19th-century beauty meets the London of today that’s what you'll find at Kimpton Fitzroy London
Identifying rare syndromes and diseases
The International Gene Clinic: your partner in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment
Dont sweat It
In summer, looking professional while remaining comfortable can be tough. Here, two stylists reveal how best to do it. Words: Layla Turner
Virginia's favourite whisky: now available in London
Catoctin Creek Distillery was founded by Becky and Scott Harris in 2009. It's dedicated to a tradition of Virginia craft rye whisky that dates back to Jamestown in 1607.
I locked my smartphone in a safe for a weekend and what I learnt surprised me
AT THE pub this weekend, when my boyfriend got up to go to the loo, I did what many of us instinctively do whenever faced with a momentary lapse in stimulation: I reached into my pocket for my phone. Except this time, for the first time in maybe 10 years, it wasn’t there.
