'I think this boy is world-class at 10 and 15'

Former England scrum-half Danny Care believes his Harlequins half-back partner Marcus Smith is world-class at both fly-half and full-back.

Though primarily a No 10, the 25-year-old was deployed in the backfield by England head coach Steve Borthwick at last year’s World Cup, an idea that Quins have since adopted, albeit sparingly.

A cluster of injuries to Quins’ back three this month saw Smith get a runout in the No 15 jersey against champions Northampton Saints in round three, scoring two tries, before returning to his normal role in the victory against Saracens.

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Despite initially being an idea conjured by Borthwick, it is unlikely that Smith will play anywhere other than fly-half for England over the autumn, where they will face the All Blacks, Australia, South Africa and Japan. Not only has George Furbank firmly established himself as England’s incumbent full-back in 2024, but George Ford’s quad injury means there are more pressing concerns at fly-half.

But Care, who made his 101st and final appearance for England from the bench alongside Smith at this year’s Six Nations, believes his clubmate is equally adept in both roles.

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Smith was a guest on Care and Mark Atkinson’s Hits Different podcast recently, where the scrum-half lauded his versatility, adding that he would like to see him play at outside centre at some point in his career. He did, however, point out that he feels Smith’s best position remains at fly-half.

“I think this boy is world-class at 10 and 15,” Care said.

“I think he can play full-back, he can play No 12, I’d like to see him in a No 13 shirt, I’ve told him this before.

“I want to see him with ball in hand as much as possible, that’s why I prefer to see him in a No 10 shirt, because you want to get your best player on the ball as many times as you can. Unfortunately, he’s suffering from his own success- he’s too good at rugby, so when he plays full-back he still plays brilliantly.

“What I love about him is the versatility, but I think he’s a No 10.”