Marcus Smith and Finn Russell in danger of British and Irish Lions axe in favour of England and Ireland starlets

The emergence of test match rookies Sam Prendergast and Fin Smith is threatening to make Finn Rusell and Marcus Smith surplus to requirements for the British and Irish Lions Tour to Australia.

That is the verdict of Jonathan Davies, the rugby union and league great, who believes Ireland’s Prendergast and England’s Fin Smith are in pole position.

6

The duo – both 22 – boast just 15 international caps between them, but they’ve tipped to secure a Lions spot this summer ahead of their experienced fly-half counterparts.

Before the Six Nations kicked off, Scotland’s Russell appeared to be nailed on for the tour, but as Scotland head into their home game with Wales, he finds himself under real pressure, increased by his goal kicking failures in the 16-15 loss to England.

Steve Borthwick’s decision to shoehorn Marcus Smith from 10 into the fullback position, where has been defensively exposed, has led to the star being dropped to the bench for the penultimate game against Italy on Sunday, despite consistently being England’s biggest attacking threat over the last 12 months.

Davies does see a scenario where Smith covers both 10 and 15 on tour, but his chances of being a first choice in either position have been hurt.

While Russell and Smith have struggled to impress, Prendergast has excelled as Johnny Sexton’s successor, and Davies, one of the sport’s most respected voices, spoke exclusively to talkSPORT.com to give his verdict.

He said: “I think Prendergast is nailed on [to start at 10 for the Lions], I do think that. He’s fitted in smoothly.

“Prendergast looked comfortable against England and Wales, he’ll have a bigger test on Saturday [against France].

“He seems to have a lot of time on the ball. He’s got a good kicking game, distributes well and he’s not scared to take on the line. So I think he’s certainly put his hat in the ring [to be the starting Lions 10].”

With Ireland expected to win a record third successive Six Nations title, guided by young Prendergast, Lions head coach Andy Farrell will likely turn to established Irish combinations down under for the first test against Australia in Brisbane.

Davies explained: “Based on what I have seen so far it would have to be Prendergast [starting], purely because of his ability; his kicking game is good, he’s going to have a lot of the Irish players around him.

6

6

“I assume that if you were picking the side now, 9, 10 and 12 would be Irish. So my first test 9, 10, 12 would be Jamison Gibson-Park, Prendergast and Bundee Aki.

“They haven’t got a lot of games to get combinations so it’ll be interesting to see how it all pans out.”

The emergence of Fin Smith has also become a major factor in the Lions No 10 debate, and Davies has been impressed by the Northampton player’s calm demeanour in contrast to the problems that Russell has been dealing with, including missing crucial kicks against England. 

It was Smith’s long range penalty that ended up winning the game for England and Davies remarked: “Fin Smith seems a really capable stand-off.

“And he’s more measured, maybe, than Marcus Smith. While he may not be as exciting, he’s got all the attributes to be a really good international No 10. 

“I think at the moment, Prendergast and [Fin] Smith are maybe one and two in the Lions No 10 race. Prendergast has done his job in a good Irish machine and Smith has come in and steadied the ship for England with a little bit more control.

6

“Prendergast and Smith are playing with a lot more maturity and control than Finn Russell at the moment. 

“As the third 10, does he pick [Marcus] Smith or Russell? It’s really interesting and it’s a big call. Russell hasn’t had a good Six Nations.

“He’s been loose, his goal kicking has been off a little bit and he has been chasing the game. He’s not been managing himself and the game very, very well.”

Scotland and the Lions were dealt a major blow in the build up to the Six Nations, with captain Sione Tuipulotu picking up a pectoral injury in training that has sidelined him for the entire Championships.

Tuipulotu was magnificent throughout the Autumn Internationals, and was expected to star in the Six Nations and go onto captain the Lions in the summer.

Davies believes Russell’s out-of-character poor performances and mistakes have been heightened by the absence of Tuipulotu.

The former Wales fly-half explained: “I feel Scotland should have beaten England, but they didn’t. They lost against Ireland and they’ve got France away.

“I think Russell misses Sione Tuipulotu very much. I think he was the catalyst for their attacking play for Scotland before he got injured.  

“Prendergrast has got Bundee Aki and Fin Smith has used Ollie Lawrence very well. It’s going to be an interesting last couple of weeks in terms of the selection of Lions places.

“Tuipulotu’s a class player. He’s got it all; kicks, passes, takes the ball to the line, carries well and is a big asset. You could see that when they lost him to injury.

“First and foremost, you pick a Lions captain on form, and Tuipolotu was the form inside centre in World Rugby. I think that he was just a great, great player, and he was developing and growing as a player.

“Finn has tried too hard because Tuipulotu wasn’t outside him and he was involved in a lot of Scotland’s plays, and his variety adds to Finn’s game as well.”

6

Although Marcus Smith has been dropped for the Italy game, his ability to cover both 10 and 15 positions may play into his favour when it comes to Andy Farrell selecting his Lions squad. 

The 62-year-old added: “With Marcus Smith, I’m not sure because of his versatility. He could go there covering 15 and also 10.

“The problem with that is that maybe, it could spoil his chances of being the first choice Lions test player. But I think that versatility will enhance his chances of going on tour and then it’s up to him to play his way into that test when he’s out there.

“I do enjoy watching [Marcus Smith] play, he does excite you, and he has the ability to see things that other players don’t see.

“The two fullbacks that will go on the Lions tour will be Blair Kinghorn (Scotland) and Ireland’s Hugo Keenan.

“So then, if you have got someone like Smith covering for them, all of a sudden, he’s got a good chance with his versatility of going on the Lions tour.

6

“Things change when you go on tour. Some feel out of their comfort zone and some people you expect to play well fall away, and somebody comes through that you didn’t expect.

“That’s what touring is all about, taking your opportunity and hopefully you get a place in the test match.”