Harlequins again address recurring Marcus Smith talking point

Marcus Smith and Harlequins perform better when responsibility is shared between playmaker and team, according to senior coach Jason Gilmore.

Smith took centre stage as Quins amassed 10 tries in a 68-14 victory over Bayonne at The Stoop with the England star setting up the opening two tries that signalled the end of an error-strewn opening quarter.

The fly-half also nailed nine conversions in an influential return to the team having been rested for last weekend’s defeat Leinster.

“Smithy is such a talented player but we can’t lump everything on him. Marcus plays best when everyone else does their job really well,” Gilmore said.

“The boys are pushing that within the leadership. Everyone’s got to an eight out of 10 and that allows our best players to do their thing.

“He’s picked up three man of the match awards in a short space of time. When he’s done that, the team has played well.”

Cadan Murley opened the scoring in the 23rd minute by gathering Smith’s grubber and touching down and the Quins captain insisted his England team-mate needs help driving the side forwards.

“The thing with Marcus is he enjoys it all being on him. He wants to be the general, that’s why he wants to be the 10,” Murley said.

“He showed out there what he can do in terms of putting the little kicks through. It’s all about trying to get the best out of him.

“He will lump pressure on himself but ultimately we want to take away some of that responsibility as leaders.”

Apart from a poor first 20 minutes, Quins could have done little more in putting Bayonne to the sword but some shine was taken off the result by their opponents being ravaged by injury.

Bayonne also chose to rest four key starters, including captain Denis Marchois, to leave them severely weakened for their trip to London.

“The boys want to play the best, they’re competitive beasts and that’s why they play the game,” Gilmore said.

“We had this last weekend when we rested a few boys, but by international guidelines you’ve got to rest your players within the first three weeks of the autumn.

“It can be really difficult for clubs and I completely understand why some clubs rest players. It’s a real balancing act.

“Bayonne had some new boys out there but also a fair chunk of their 23 who have played through the Top 14. We can only play what they put out there.

“When you clock up 60-odd points it shows you’re being ruthless with your approach, which is really nice.”