We provide a profile of each nominee as we near the announcement of the Investec Player of the Year, which takes place next month. Marcus Smith, a fly-half with the Harlequins, is next.
Marcus Smith is so talented that it’s hard to believe he’s only 25 years old; some players don’t reach 151 club appearances by the time they’re 30.
However, the pivot, who was born in Manila, has been leading Harlequins’ all-action squad for over seven years already. This is because he made his debut in September 2017 with two very intense games against Wasps and London Irish.
In fact, he has grown so essential to the Harlequins’ style of rugby that, when he is not there, the team frequently lacks direction.
Though he was perhaps more involved in those point totals than Jonny Wilkinson, who was the youngest player to reach the 500-point milestone in the Premiership. He scored numerous highlights for YouTube and created plenty others.
The Investec Champions Cup campaign of this season hasn’t been all that different. In terms of points, tries, and metres gained, the Harlequins are right up there with the Union Bordeaux-Begles, Stade Toulousain, and Northampton Saints. Smith leads the individual scoring records, in large part because of his propensity for both scoring and converting tries.
In addition to his three tries and three additional assists, he has a 90% goal-kicking percentage. In his 475 minutes on the pitch (out of 480 total), he has also deftly sidestepped 20 defenders.
Here’s another aspect of his game: he’s made 84 percent of his tackles, or 43 total, which is a remarkable accomplishment. He also attributes his improved tactical decision-making to the aforementioned Wilkinson.
He also attributes his natural, high-energy competitiveness, which occasionally may impair his judgement on the field, being dialled down as a result of some candid conversations with his mother.
Luckily for the Harlequins, Union Bordeaux-Begles discovered in the quarterfinal that it hasn’t affected his attacking prowess or his capacity to handle pressure. Smith played a key part in the team’s only knockout victory, coming just after they scored 13 points in their opening game against Glasgow Warriors.
He will probably face Thomas Ramos and Romain Ntamack in the semifinals; both players roughed up Smith and Harlequins in a group encounter back in December.
It would be foolish to write Smith and Harlequins off at this point; there is no better way for Smith to stake his claim to the Investec Player of the Year award than to exact revenge on them. Nobody gave them a chance against Union Bordeaux-Begles, and look what happened. Cast your vote below if you want Smith to win the award.
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