Marcus Smith should start for England against Australia, with Owen Farrell only on the bench.
That is the considered view of Wales legend Jonathan Davies, a fly-half in the same dashing mould as Harlequins’ young playmaker.
Davies watched Smith carve it up against Tonga on Saturday and says the time is right to blood the 22-year old alongside centres Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade.
“Marcus Smith has got pace and vision, he sees and tries things,” said Davies. “He is exciting to watch, a special talent.
“He has won a Premiership, been called up by the Lions and is a player in form. For me this is the time to see if he can do it against top class international opposition.”
Davies’ opinion carries weight as he was a superstar of union and league from the moment he burst onto the Test scene at exactly the same age as Smith.
He recognises Smith as a rare talent but also fully appreciates the qualities Farrell brings to the table.
“People knock Farrell but I love his attitude, I love his aggression,” said Davies. “I’m a big, big fan of his.
“But when it comes to Six Nations or World Cups you know what he brings. You know what you get from Owen.
“What Eddie Jones needs to find out is whether Smith can see the opportunities he does at club level - and take them.
“If he doesn’t react as well, gets caught and is turned over on a couple of occasions, he might have to curb his attacking ambition a little until he adapts to the pace of the international game.
“But Eddie needs to find that out because if, as looks likely, he is ready, he’ll bring an extra dimension to England’s game.”
Jones names his side tomorrow and has captain Farrell available after the Covid ruling which put him out of the Tonga Test was found to be a false positive.
The England boss has previously indicated he wants to utilise the twin playmaker threat posed by Smith and Farrell at 10 and 12.
But Sir Clive Woodward has urged him not to disrupt the Tuilagi-Slade midfield combination and, for this weekend, Davies agrees.
“If you’re going to roll the dice play Smith with Tuilagi and Slade, the basher and the ball player, and play Farrell off the bench,” said the respected BBC pundit.
“England could dominate Australia, whose pack didn’t look that strong against Scotland. Give Smith that platform.
“We knows how dangerous he is with quick ball and if it slows he can either shift it to Tuilagi to take up the middle, or put it onto Slade’s left foot.
“There’s always going to be doubters at this stage of Marcus’ career. But in the game as it is now you need people who can break the line.
“When it’s a stalemate you need someone to break the first tackle. Then when you’re behind the the first line of defence you can create quick ball.
“And that’s where England can exploit Smith’s x-factor.”
