Steve Borthwick explains Marcus Smith’s absence from England team to face South Africa

The Harlequins playmaker started England’s quarter-final at full-back ahead of Freddie Steward

Steve Borthwick has confirmed that Marcus Smith was unavailable for England’s Rugby World Cup semi-final after South Africa due to a head injury.

Smith went off in the first half of England’s quarter-final against Fiji last weekend after a head-on-head collision with Vinaya Habosi.

He subsequently returned to action with a swollen lip having passed an in-game head injury assessment.

• Rugby World Cup LIVE: Follow England’s semi-final clash against the Springboks

But the Harlequins playmaker failed a second assessment early this week, leaving him unable to feature in the semi-final meeting with the Springboks.

Freddie Steward, who was in contention to replace Smith anyway, starts in his stead at full-back.

“Marcus was unavailable for selection due to the return to play protocols,” England head coach Borthwick clarified.

“He took a knock in the [Fiji] game. As you are well aware, he passed the first parts of the HIA process which meant he finished the game. Then there are subsequent parts of the HIA process and one part of that, he did not pass. And then it was confirmed to me he was unavailable for selection.

“He is perfectly fine in terms of symptoms – he doesn’t feel anything. And I understand we’d expect him to be available for selection after this weekend. Player welfare is critical and vital to us.”

Steward’s return comes a week after the Leicester youngster was dropped from the England side for the first time in his international career.

The full-back had started 29 of 30 fixtures since his test debut, missing only the pool stage game against Chile when England utilised a rotated team.

Freddie Steward has been brought back into England’s starting side (Getty Images)

Head coach Borthwick believes the manner in which Steward responded to that disappointment is indicative of his character.

“Everything that’s been challenged to him, you ask him to get better at, he goes and gets better at,” said Borthwick, who worked closely with Steward while Leicester coach.

“At training today he was straight away out on the field, trying to improve right from the start, even before the session, he’s working hard, to improve as a player. And that’s great credit to him and his professionalism.

“My first game coaching Leicester, I was going through the selection process and [discussed] this young man, Freddie Steward, that I’d not known a huge amount before,

“He was new to the squad, from school and out of the academy. Coming to the first game and I am deciding who to play at 15, and I didn’t pick him.

“I watched his face when I told him he wasn’t picked in that game in 2020, and I thought this guy wants the challenge. This guys wants it, it doesn’t matter how old he is, he is ready for this. So the next week I put him in and from that point on he has just been brilliant.”

England take on South Africa at the Stade de France on Saturday.