Smith v Smith - start of a new England fly-half era?

Summer Series: Japan v England

Venue: Japan National Stadium, Tokyo Date: Saturday, 22 June Kick-off: 06:50 BST

Coverage: Live radio commentary on BBC 5 Sports Extra and live text updates on the BBC Sport website and app.

When you think of success in rugby it ordinarily comes through a genius at fly-half.

The brains behind the operation. Arguably the most important job on a rugby field, that role must be in safe hands.

The England fly-half jersey over the last decade has been dominated by Owen Farrell and George Ford. With over 200 caps between them, three Six Nations titles and a World Cup final, their leadership on and off the field has been pivotal.

Injuries, suspension and form at times has occasionally opened the door for new talent to emerge, but the pair's presence in camp has been next to permanent over the last decade.

A summer tour-ending Achilles injury to Ford and Farrell's decision to move to Racing 92 have finally opened the door for others to have a longer run.

Marcus Smith, 25, and Fin Smith, 22, are set to battle it out over England's summer tour of Japan and New Zealand for the starting 10 jersey.

No Ford and no Farrell will mean the England environment feels very different.

"Whenever they [Ford and Farrell] are in a room it is very hard for someone else to command a team and run the team as they have done it so brilliantly for so many years," former England scrum-half Danny Care told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly.

"Even if they are not playing or on the bench there is a look to them to say 'is that all right?' because of their success and how good they are."

Marcus Smith starts on Saturday against Japan in Tokyo, with a strong performance needed to put him in pole position to retain the 10 shirt for two mega Tests in New Zealand.

Injury prevented Smith, who started the entire 2022 Six Nations ahead of Ford, challenging the Sale Sharks fly-half for his starting jersey for the opening three rounds of this year's championship.

Things are yet to fully click for him at number 10 for England and Saturday will be his first start at fly-half since last summer's World Cup warm-up defeat by Wales.

Smith, who has been capped 32 times, moved to full-back during last autumn's World Cup, drawing similarities to Ford and Farrell's successful 10-12 combo that got England's very best players on the pitch.

In this year's Six Nations, Smith showed his brilliance off the bench, with a match-winning drop-goal against Ireland and a sharply finished second-half try from full-back in defeat by France.

Northampton rival Fin Smith is three years younger - he only turned 22 in May - and this month helped steer Saints to a first Premiership title in a decade at his tender years.

He made his England debut in this year's Six Nations but only played 33 minutes across the opening three rounds before losing his bench spot to his namesake.

Cool, calm and composed, the younger Smith has shown signs he has the correct temperament for the big stage and is named on the bench in Tokyo.

Care, who played with both players during this year's Six Nations, believes they could "work really well together" on the pitch "at the same time" - a trick used before to get two talented playmakers on the field.

"It is a big few weeks for him [Marcus Smith] to go - 'Right, this is how I want to play'," Care added. "Marcus will be desperate to say 'This is how I run the team'.

"But I think they will both play massive roles on this tour."

The youngest player against the Brave Blossoms will be 21-year-old Harlequins flanker Chandler Cunningham-South, who makes his first Test start.

Like Northampton's Smith, Cunningham-South was given cameos off the bench during the Six Nations, as Steve Borthwick drip-fed in the next generation of potential England stars.

A big, abrasive ball carrier and hard-hitting defender, Cunningham-South, who grew up in New Zealand, has a level of physicality not ordinarily produced in England.

"I don't think we have got another player like Chandler and if we can harness him and get the best out of him then England will be dangerous," Cunningham-South's Harlequins team-mate Care added.

"He runs to hurt and bust tackles. The way he hits people dead in their tracks. His work rate is phenomenal.

"He will get around the park, the aggression that is in him - you can't teach that in forwards, it comes naturally to Chandler.

"He wants to run through people and melt people in tackles."

It will be former England head coach Eddie Jones' first game back in charge of Japan on Saturday.

Jones and Borthwick worked together during Jones' first stint in charge of Japan from 2012 to 2015 and maintained their partnership with England until 2020.

England have never lost to Japan and beat them 34-12 at the World Cup in their last meeting. Added to the fact Marcus scored twice in a 52-13 win in 2022, Borthwick's side have had the upper hand on the Brave Blossoms.

Borthwick is no longer an understudy to Jones, but as England head coach he is rather a heavy favourite to defeat his former boss, who has named an inexperienced Japan team.

"What a start that would be for Eddie, the master against the apprentice," former England wing Chris Ashton told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly.

"There probably couldn't be a better game for him."

Japan did lead Jones' England at half-time at Twickenham in 2018 and he will hope the Tokyo humidity, potential rainfall and some inside knowledge on England's players will help cause an upset.