BRIAN McDERMOTT has backed Harry Smith to be England’s leader at scrum-half.
The Wigan Warriors halfback was selected in McDermott’s World Cup squad alongside Mikey Lewis and captain George Williams.
And it’s fair to say that McDermott, who takes charge of his first England game in next Saturday’s opener against Tonga at Perth, is a fan of Smith’s ability to control a game.
“I think an on-the-ball, controlling seven, a seven who has got an influence over everybody – not because he has got a seven on his back, but because he has actually got an influence on everybody – is key, and Harry Smith has that presence,” McDermott said.
“Every team needs that, so whether you’re a team that is going to play tight and conservative and just get to the end of your sets and kick the ball, or whether you’re a team that is going to shift the ball twice a set and the ball would end up in areas of the field that you can’t really plan for, your seven needs to get hold of the last play and kick well.
“To do that, you need to be able to coordinate two or three players on the field at the drop of a hat, and Harry Smith does that really well.
“Some teams don’t have too much difference between a six and a seven, but Harry Smith is an absolute on-the-ball seven who controls kicking and controls the sets – that’s not to say nobody else can kick, of course they can – but he would have the influence over us.
“Even if we’re playing with a point of difference, we still need some of the usuals – we still need to complete high, we still need to be disciplined in defence, we still need to have a really good kicking game. Some of these things are non-negotiable at international level, and Harry Smith fits the bill there.”
