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England centre Ollie Lawrence insists Fin Smith is not under pressure to outshine \u201cworld-class\u201d Scotland fly-half Finn Russell during a pivotal Calcutta Cup clash at Twickenham.<\/p>\n
An intriguing subplot to Saturday\u2019s Guinness Six Nations showdown is the battle at number 10 as Test rookie Smith seeks to build on his starring role in a thrilling 26-25 win over France on his full international debut.<\/p>\n
Rival out-half Russell, who hopes to recover from a head injury to feature at Allianz Stadium, is vastly more experienced and regarded by many as the leading candidate to start for the British and Irish Lions in Australia this summer.<\/p>\n
Lawrence has close links with both men, having been a role model to England team-mate Smith at former club Worcester before Russell joined his current side Bath in 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t really think there\u2019s too much pressure on Fin; certainly we aren\u2019t putting pressure on him to step up or anything like that,\u201d said Lawrence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way he played against France and controlled the game put us in the right areas of the field. He managed to set up that try (for Elliot Daly) at the end, which was testament to how he\u2019s come on as a player.<\/p>\n
\u201cEver since he left Worcester and went to (Northampton) Saints, he\u2019s only gone like this (upwards).<\/p>\n
\u201cFinn Russell is a world-class 10, a great player and I\u2019ve got a huge amount of respect for him. But equally I\u2019m definitely not looking at Fin and saying he has to match the other Finn during the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll do his thing, he\u2019s a confident lad and we\u2019ll back him all the way. He has so much more potential and so much more to show in an England jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith, 22, has another chance to pull the strings for England following head coach Steve Borthwick\u2019s decision to keep fellow fly-half Marcus Smith at full-back.<\/p>\n
Russell, meanwhile, is pushing to prove his fitness after he and team-mate Darcy Graham were forced off due to a nasty collision in their country\u2019s round-two loss to Ireland.<\/p>\n
Having managed to subdue France star Antoine Dupont last time out, Lawrence believes England can also force errors out of Scotland\u2019s key man.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes Finn is in his own world and he can make things happen that not everybody else can see,\u201d said Lawrence.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of his strengths is that he can create something out of nothing. He\u2019s a skill player, he\u2019s got a great passing game, great kicking game.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Bath, he\u2019s very diligent. Before I met him, I was similar in thinking he was a feel-based player but he sees pictures and understands them because of the analysis he\u2019s done.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can do things off the cuff but he is able to execute things that he\u2019s already seen pictures of, that teams have done before and he\u2019s world class at doing it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a challenge going up against him but it was the same last week with Dupont, another world-class player. If you put pressure on them then you can force them to make errors and that\u2019s the plan on Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n
England remain in the title hunt after their stunning last-gasp success over Les Bleus secured a first win over a leading nation since ultimately denying Ireland back-to-back Grand Slams in round four of last year\u2019s championship.<\/p>\n
Lawrence is determined to ensure the statement result is not another false dawn as the hosts bid to end a four-match losing run against Scotland.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always felt like we were heading in the right direction but we didn\u2019t really have the proof in the pudding,\u201d said the 25-year-old.<\/p>\n
Always going up against Scotland, it\u2019s a fierce rival and it\u2019s one we\u2019re all ready to get stuck into<\/p>\n
Ollie Lawrence<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the main messages was that we now needed to kick on and build momentum. We\u2019re eager to make sure we don\u2019t just have one win and it turns into another loss and then you rebuild again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis squad has taken some learnings from the last 12, 18 months and I think we\u2019ve turned a corner as a team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know what they\u2019re going to bring but always going up against Scotland, it\u2019s a fierce rival and it\u2019s one we\u2019re all ready to get stuck into.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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