A MIDFIELD MINEFIELD

The Smith and Farrell axis has failed to fire as Flood calls for patience... but are they rugby’s Lamps and Gerrard?

ENGLAND have been urged to keep the faith with the much-criticised midfield axis of Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell against Italy.

The No.10 and 12 link has again come under fire in the wake of the Calcutta Cup defeat, with Smith and Farrell (above) branded an oil and water combination which can never work.

The comparison has even been made to Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard (above, right) as club superstars incompatible in the same England midfield in the round ball game. However, Toby Flood, who played in both positions for England, feels Steve Borthwick should roll out the pairing again at Twickenham on Sunday.

Flood, a 2007 World Cup finalist, said: “I think they are a focal point for all of England’s ills at the moment, but my view is that it is starting to come together. It’s getting there.

“There are players in the squad who can provide different solutions.

“If Steve feels he needs a quicker solution, with time running out to the World Cup, then he might not want to persevere, but I think it is still a work in progress.

“I thought they were OK at the weekend, but if your ruck speed is poor, which it was, you can’t really attack in international rugby where defences are so well organised and there is very little space.

“I would still persevere with Farrell and Smith. I would give it another go and then reassess in the break.”

Farrell was criticised for moving Smith aside and stepping into the No.10 position on too many occasions last weekend, but Flood saw nothing wrong in the positional musical chairs. “That’s normal when you have a 10-12 partnership where both players are inherently 10s,” he said.

“I was very lucky to play with Jonny Wilkinson and we were very fluid (both above).

“Having grown up playing together at Newcastle, we would both step in at 10.

“I’m not going to say Farrell and Smith has worked absolutely brilliantly because it hasn’t worked all the time.

“But these guys haven’t played as much together as, say, George Ford and Farrell, who grew up with each other and know each intimately well.”