All too often, both in life and rugby, people prefer to stick to a certain template rather than try something different. Many, for example, still envisage the perfect No 10 to be an impish genius and, ideally, Welsh. Those who do not quite fit the mould – particularly those taking over from a recently departed legend – have to work doubly hard to shift entrenched perceptions.
Dan Biggar, Wales’s most-capped fly-half, was instructive on the subject in his thought-provoking autobiography, The Biggar Picture. “Throughout my career I’d constantly had to silence the critics. I was too slow. I stood too deep. I was petulant, aggressive and one-dimensional. I kicked too much and ran too little. I was, in short, not your typical Welsh fly-half. Where Barry John would paint you a picture, I’d draw you a diagram.”
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There were times, he said, when his famous red No 10 jersey resembled both suit of armour and straitjacket. “It can imbue you with Herculean strength or weigh you down with crippling anxiety.” An observation well worth keeping in mind when considering the new breed of young pretenders jostling for position in the Six Nations this season.
Take Sam Prendergast for Ireland. A mere 21 years old, he at least has the advantage of looking like his esteemed predecessor, Johnny Sexton. Tall, calm and adept at looping round to offer another midfield attacking option, he has clearly been taking lessons from the former Irish captain. “He’s been a master of control,” Ronan O’Gara said approvingly, having watched him give an assured performance against Scotland on Sunday in his first Test away from home.
Some, on the other hand, would still be minded to select Munster’s Jack Crowley ahead of Prendergast if it was their decision. Crowley was excellent, along with the rest of the Irish bench, when he came on against England in Dublin. It is quite possible the two 10s will compete for the same jersey for years, the latest instalment of that particular shamrock-embossed soap opera. Ollie Campbell v Tony Ward, David Humphreys v O’Gara, O’Gara v Sexton … it is an age-old storyline.
Times, though, are subtly changing. Rugby is a 23-man sport these days and possessing the composure to finish off tight games is becoming ever more critical. And how the game is speeding up, physically and tactically, makes it helpful to have two, or even three, playmakers on the pitch. Hence why England were happy to pick Marcus Smith at 15 against France, despite the Harlequin not being a natural full-back.
But does that still matter to the same degree? Increasingly pivotal, at the top level, is finding the right collective blend. It has little to do with whether Fin Smith is a better player individually than Marcus Smith.
Or vice versa. It is absolutely about what makes the team tick most effectively and maximises the talent they possess. And against France last Saturday any backline student with eyes could see England looked more balanced and composed with Fin Smith at 10 than has latterly been the case.
This is hardly what Marcus Smith – or his agent – will want to hear. But, equally, it need not be the beginning of the end for his Test career. He simply has to get his head around the fact that, in future, his role is likely to be different and potentially involve a double-digit number beginning with a two on his back.
Because there is far more scope for creative types away from the claustrophobic, frantic world of a conventional No 10. And the last thing tiring defenders want to see is a fresh-legged Smith twisting them one way and then the other. A couple of quick long passes out the back, allied to eager, intelligent support, and he could be a truly devastating second-half threat, with Fin Smith calmly pulling the tactical strings from set-pieces and starter plays.
There is just one snag. England also need to pick their best starting XV, currently George Furbank when he recovers from injury. Not only is he a smart footballer but he has a cricketer’s hands and an established rapport with Fin Smith and their Northampton teammates Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme. In time it would be no surprise to see someone such as George Hendy, another Saint, whistled up. Not because any of them are better than Marcus Smith but because, early on in tight games against the best opposition, a specialist full-back is non-negotiable.
Which potentially frees him up to be a rugby revolutionary: a new breed of world-class game-breaker, a pinch hitter with a licence to thrill. If he can work hard on his passing and box kicking so that, if needed, he is also able to pop up at scrum-half, so much the better. England may even then be able, if required, to name a 7-1 bench. And while Smith might still look like a diminutive fly-half from central casting he could become the catalyst who transforms global perceptions.
Shirt numbers – even double-digit ones starting with a two – are less important than the match-turning impact you make.
