The Dan Carter pointer that augurs well for England rookie Smith
Eddie Jones has hinted that England rookie Marcus Smith could have a glittering Test career ahead of him, especially if he follows the trajectory and longevity that was enjoyed by former All Blacks talisman Dan Carter. The now-retired 39-year-old New Zealander enjoyed a 112-cap Test career that continued on successfully at club level for a number of years after he represented the All Blacks for the last time in the 2015 World Cup final win over Australia.
Carter had three seasons in France at Racing, two at the Steelers in Japan before calling it quits following an injury-hit Super Rugby Aotearoa stint at the Blues in 2020, and his name cropped up when Jones spoke about the growth capabilities that Smith has in front of him now that he is set to make his England debut at the age of 22.
Smith initially featured in an uncapped England XV versus the Barbarians in June 2019 but he has been made to wait 25 months before getting handed the No10 shirt for a Test match which will be played at Twickenham eight days after he lit up the stadium with his gutsy performance in Harlequins’ Gallagher Premiership final win over Exeter.
“He is ready now,” insisted Jones, explaining the two-year wait that Smith has gone through. “There is a greater degree of consistency about his game. His decision-making has improved, his ability to be effective in defence has improved but he is a very young 10, he is 22 years of age.
“I was just telling some of the senior players there that Dan Carter played his best rugby at 35, so Marcus is really moving in the right direction. We have got another young bloke in Jacob Umaga and George Furbank there. They are all young 10s, they are all learning their craft and they are all moving in the right direction – and Marcus is at the head of the queue at the moment.”
"I try and keep God on my side so he looks after me on the field"
– Premiership player of the year nominee Marcus Smith talks about his faith, his Asian roots, his rejuvenated form and his enduring love for @Harlequins#BRIvHAR https://t.co/zGVufoSIVu
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 17, 2021
It is nearly six years since Jones first clapped eyes on Smith, the coach taking an evening off from coaching Japan at the 2015 World Cup to check out a teenager he first heard about through an acquaintance in Asia. “He is a bright, young talent. I happened to be a social friend of his godfather who I met in Hong Kong. He told me about him and then we had our camp down in Brighton College. It was a Wednesday night, a cold, wet night, and I went and watched them play.
“It might have been the week of the South Africa game and he definitely had some talent. There is plenty of boys with talent, but he has managed to work hard, come up with a game that is only in its infancy at the moment. It is exciting for him to get the opportunity on Sunday and whatever he does on Sunday he will be better the next time he plays.”
Legendary Wallabies star Lynagh posted on social media earlier this week about how his son had no contact from England but had been sounded out by Australia and Italy #ENGvUSAhttps://t.co/YC0m3cgi6N
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 2, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments