The secret to Marcus Smith’s rapid rise over the past 12 months is be found inside the notebooks he has spent years filling with his innermost thoughts. He still finds it helpful to write down his hopes and dreams even if, to others, it reads like a fantasy wish list. “I’m a big believer that if you constantly write your goals down you set your mind on to something. If you set your mind properly you can almost achieve anything.”
This time last year three of his career ambitions – winning a Premiership title with Harlequins, touring with the British & Irish Lions and starting big Test matches for England – were a long way from being realised. Quins were stuttering badly, not least in Europe. Racing 92 ripped them apart 49-7 at the Stoop shortly before Christmas, and the boyish Smith was being courted by Bath, Lyon and Toulon, among others.
And now? Like a gumshield-wearing Cinderella, Smith’s professional life has been transformed, largely through his own desire and hard work. He has started – and sparkled – at 10 for England against the world champions, South Africa, represented the Lions and inspired Quins, who visit Castres on Sunday, to a Premiership title. Not since Jonny Wilkinson has a young English rugby player had such potential to convert not just goals but a whole new non-rugby audience as well.
Which makes it handy that Wilkinson now features among the young fly-half’s most trusted advisers. During England’s autumn campaign, in particular, Smith chatted regularly to his illustrious predecessor about mental preparation. “That’s the biggest thing I learn from him. How to deal with things that don’t always go your way or things that do go your way, how to live, how to be a good person.”
Avoiding some of the mental angst from which Wilkinson suffered would also be a plus, which is another reason why Eddie Jones hates any semblance of hype surrounding the 22-year-old. “I have long felt that all the talk around him has not been helpful – either to England or Marcus,” wrote the head coach in his latest leadership book. The subsequent ill-judged comparisons with Emma Raducanu, the complaints about the “rat poison” allegedly spread by an over-excited media … all of it is to encourage the Philippines-born Smith to keep his visionary eyes fixed on the prize.
Either way, it can be hard to scale the loftiest Twickenham peak and not have the chance to recharge afterwards. It was collectively smart thinking, then, to allow Smith to spend a week away in the winter sun with his girlfriend having experienced “a step up physically” against the Springboks. “Bigger men, aggressive defence, time on the ball was less than I’ve ever experienced before. I tried to just reflect on what happened and take some downtime to rest my brain and my body.”
The year 2021, though, will for ever retain a special place in his heart. “There’s a few things I’m really proud of and all of them were goals I wrote down when I was 15 or 16. I’ve got quite a few little books I’ve written in over the years. But then you park it. I’ll never forget those three [autumn] weekends but it’s gone now.
“For me it’s about refocusing every single time I get a chance and defining my goals through the season and through the years. Every single player who’s played for England will have had [extra attention] at one point. For me it’s just about surrounding myself with brilliant people who are able to share bits of wisdom with me. It’s not a straight line but as long as I continue listening and being open to their feedback then hopefully I can stay on the path I am now.”
Because, with the annual “Big Game” at Twickenham on 27 December also approaching, the self-aware Smith knows he is not yet the finished article. Arguably it did not need Jones to give him a hurry-up last year – “I was not sure whether Marcus had the desire to be the best he can be … we had a reasonably blunt conversation” – because the fly-half felt similarly. “It was at a point in my career when I didn’t feel I was performing to the best of my ability, for whatever reasons. A lot of it was within. I took a long, hard look at myself, all parts of my game and my preparation. For me it wasn’t up to scratch and I tried to fix it.”
It is hardly a coincidence that the regime change at Harlequins which empowered the players to assume more control has also made a massive difference. “When we were struggling at Quins it was tough. We got smashed at home a couple of times, we threw away some big leads. It wasn’t easy, and we had some honest frank conversations. The standards now are a lot higher. We don’t accept poor effort. We believe that’s a non-negotiable if you’re lucky enough to play for Harlequins. As a group we’re a lot tighter … we’re in a completely different place.”
Certain things will never change, though, and the Smith family home in Brighton clearly remains a blessed sanctuary. “If I ever need an escape it’s pretty easy to go down there, eat my mum’s rice and enjoy my brothers’ company.” The youngest, Thomas, is 18 while Luc, 20, plays for Rosslyn Park and has already represented the Philippines at sevens. “I wouldn’t have done any of these things without them,” says their loyal elder sibling. “I remember loads of times when we’d go to the park and try and sidestep each other. They’d mug me off or read my sidestep which would frustrate the hell out of me.”
It is all paying off now, the only question being how much higher he can soar. At some stage he likes the idea of assisting rugby in his mother’s homeland – “That would be the long term goal, to change people’s lives and make people in the Philippines happy and proud of me” – but, as ever, he has multiple other ambitions. “I want to make sure I continue to love my rugby and have a smile on my face every time I step on the field. I want to win many trophies here at Quins. At England I want to play for the next 10 years, touch wood. I want to go to the next World Cup, I want to play for the Lions again. I want to keep going.” Whenever the talented Smith makes a wish, it has a strange habit of coming true.
