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'I'm glad I've found my smile again, I went away from that a couple of years ago'
Marcus Smith has spoken about how his demeanour on the rugby pitch is now very different to what it was in recent years at Harlequins. The 22-year-old Gallagher Premiership player of the year nominee has been in regal form in recent months, his swashbuckling play accompanied by an infectious beaming smile across his face, something that wasn’t the case not so long ago.
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It was June 2019 when he was chosen in an England XV versus the Barbarians and he was regularly touted since then as the next big thing in the wake of that emergence. However, Smith remains uncapped at Test level but England boss Eddie Jones appears to have recently warmed to him again following a rich run of form at Harlequins.
“What we are seeing from him is more like when he played at Brighton College,” said Jones at the start of June. “I remember watching him in 2015 at Brighton College where when there was something on he took it and maybe for a period of time he was more likely to be a pattern player.
“He is getting a nice balance in his game between understanding the responsibilities of getting the team organised but then playing what is in front of him and his development is really positive.”
Smith made himself available for a rare media briefing this week with Harlequins preparing for Saturday’s Premiership semi-final at Bristol and he jogged his memory back to those care-free schooldays when quizzed by RugbyPass about the recent Jones comments and what he was like as a teenager.
"For a period of time he was more likely to be a pattern player…"
– The England verdict on out-half prospect Marcus Smith https://t.co/ZtbvJnLXzg
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 3, 2021
“When I was a bit younger I was a bit cheeky, a bit too cheeky. I got told off a little bit when I was younger. But as I grew older in the school I credit a lot of it to Nick Buoy, the way he managed me in my last couple of years at school was brilliant. He made me run the warm-ups, he made me organise the team through the school day, announce the team. I had to do that at 17, 18 years of age.
“So he made me take on those sorts of responsibilities pretty early and then on a rugby side he always told me to play what is in front and do it while smiling which for me I try and do now. I went away from that, if I am being honest with myself, a couple of years ago and I’m glad that I have found my smile again because it has definitely helped me on the pitch.”
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Why did you lose your smile? “I don’t know. If I had the answers I don’t think I would have got into that position myself but I am glad that I have gone past that now and hopefully it doesn’t come back because it helps me out and keeps me happy.”
What has certainly helped is his faith. While being interviewed Smith wore a gold cross necklace and he went on to outline the role religion plays in his life. “Yes, I do believe in God. I pray a fair bit with my mum, she prays for me all the time. I try and keep God on my side so he looks after me on the field.”
That field is now the stage where Smith has become another star name showcasing the increasing diversity prevalent in the game in England. Born in Manila, Smith spent the first twelve years of his life in Asia and that background makes him feel enormous pride. “I’m very proud of being born in the Philippines. I’m very proud to have lived some of my life there,” he enthused.
“I know what it is like back there and if I can be of any inspiration at all to any young player in England, in the Philippines or wherever it may be, I would love to do that. It’s a privilege and an honour to do that but it’s not at the forefront of my mind.
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“For me, it’s about delivering good performances week in week out for a club I love, do my friends and family proud and then hopefully in turn that will encourage people to get out and play rugby because it is good fun for me and I hope it is good fun for them as well.”
Harlequins is definitely where Smith’s heart is. The youngster has made more than 100 appearances for the club but was rumoured with a move away before a deal was signed not long following the sudden January departure of Paul Gustard as head of rugby. The teenage fan who went on to wear the No10 jersey is delighted his future is now secure there. It was a dream of mine to play for Harlequins,” he continued.
“I remember watching Harlequins at Twickenham in the Premiership final so I was desperate to do that. Obviously, there were rumours circulating around me but when the offer was made by Harlequins it was a no-brainer for me.
“I was desperate to continue my time at my childhood club and I love the group the minute, I love the way the coaches are connecting with us and I hope to stay here for a very long time. I am desperate to deliver trophies to this club because it definitely holds a special place in my heart.”
England boss Jones recently highlight how rucks in the southern hemisphere have quickened up this year, the average ruck time falling from three to two seconds, and it is apparent in recent months in the Premiership that the tempo is also increasing, something that perfectly suits Smith’s speedy style of play.
“We speak a lot about the lightning-quick ball, we try and make the ball as quick as possible,” he explained about the Harlequins approach. “We have got brilliant back-rowers, we have got brilliant tight-five forwards who have been excellent all season, very physical, very brutal at the breakdown.
“It’s making life very easy for me and Danny (Care) and the rest of the backs so massive credit has got to go to the forwards, and we have gone back to our DNA in terms of offloading and keeping the ball alive which I guess stops the ruck completely which has been a massive positive for us.
“It’s something we are going to try and bring to this weekend (in Bristol) because when the sun comes out, it makes it a lot easier and hopefully we can speed up the ruck to give me and the rest of the backs a chance.”
"I know what I'm like at that weight and there is no chance I'd be running around the field like he does"
– Adam Jones on what Wilco Louw has done for the Harlequins scrum following the exit of Kyle Sinckler #SALvHARhttps://t.co/LOydHNykUc
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 4, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
After their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
3 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
2 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
29 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
3 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to comments