Marcus Smith’s jersey was drenched in blood after a terrifying head-on collision with a Fijian.
Marcus Smith of England was splashed in blood after a devastating head-on collision against Fiji at the Rugby World Cup.
With just over 20 minutes remaining, the Harlequins fly-half took Vinaya Habosi’s forehead directly in his nose and had to leave the field with his white shirt smeared in scarlet.
Meanwhile, Habosi was given a yellow and sent to the sin bin, a judgment that was not upgraded due to Smith’s abrupt change of direction.
Smith reappeared ten minutes later, drenched in water and dressed in a fresh shirt, appearing ready to rejoin the fold after clearing Head Injury Protocol.
Despite Smith’s agony, England managed to complete the move and score a try through Joe Marchent.
This upped England’s advantage to 13-3, closing off a fast start in the Marseille quarter-final.
Steve Borthwick’s team is currently leading the game, having won 21-10 at halftime.
The call came after the video team had previously cleared Tom Curry for a no-arms tackle.