06 February 2023 , 11:15
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Former England scrum-half Matt Dawson has joined the calls for new head coach Steve Borthwick to stop playing Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith alongside each other following defeat to Scotland in their Six Nations opener.
England lost 29-23 to Scotland with Smith starting at fly-half and Farrell at inside centre, a ploy former coach Eddie Jones used extensively before he was sacked. The likes of Sir Clive Woodward, Brian Moore and Stuart Barnes have all questioned whether Borthwick should persist with the Smith-Farrell axis and Dawson has joined the chorus.
The 2003 World Cup winner believes Borthwick has "boxed himself in" by sticking with Farrell as captain and felt he had to pick him against Scotland, even if that meant playing him at centre instead of fly-half.
And Dawson feels Farrell and Smith's partnership has not clicked enough to make England "a good enough threat to compete at the highest level". In a column for BBC Sport, Dawson said: "I would not be quick to criticise England's defeat by Scotland.
"Overall it was a fair performance, but there is one looming area of concern for me - and I am sure for many England fans - after that match. New head coach Steve Borthwick has boxed himself in by choosing Owen Farrell as his captain.
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"Farrell played at inside centre on Saturday, resuming his partnership with fly-half Marcus Smith, and as happened so often in 2022, the duo did not quite click. I cannot see how that midfield is going to be a good enough threat to compete at the highest level going forward.
Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith's partnership in midfield continues to be questioned (David Rogers/Getty Images)"I understand that Farrell brings a huge amount to the team. I am just not sure we should be asking him to play at 12 when he has been playing better at 10 for his club Saracens."
However, Borthwick's attack coach Nick Evans is confident the Smith-Farrell axis can succeed, insisting ahead of the Scotland game: "There's no reason why they can't play together. But you have to be very clear about what you are trying to achieve, how you are doing this, what the detail looks like.
"Once everyone is clear on that then you can go through with it. Some of the feedback was that maybe that wasn't there, so maybe there was a bit of a crossover. It's just about making sure that you're very clear on roles and responsibilities."