Harlequins star Marcus Smith has been left out of England’s squad set to face South Africa in the rugby world cup semi-final.
England face Springboks as big underdogs
England face South Africa in the Rugby World Cup semi-final on Saturday. The England side come in as the underdogs when taking on the tournament favourites.
Marcus Smith, who started in England’s quarter-final win against Fiji on Sunday, has been left out of the squad’s semi-final match against the Springboks in Paris on Saturday.
It's a 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝗯𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗽 𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗶-𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 – and here's your team to face South Africa on Saturday
Hit the link below for more details
KO: 20:00 BST | Live on ITV
#ENGvRSA | #RWC2023
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) October 19, 2023
Smith replaced by Steward as Genge and Chessum drop to the bench
Harlequins player, Smith, who is just 24 years old, is regarded as a bright young talent becoming the second fastest player to reach 500 premiership points.
However, Freddie Steward has been favoured over Marcus Smith at full-back for the semi-final as Head Coach Steve Borthwick sees Steward’s aerial ability as an asset when facing South Africa.
As well as Smith coming out of the squad, Joe Marler and George Martin replace Ellis Genge and Ollie Chessum who drop to the bench.
