Marcus Smith has pointed the way forward for Premiership clubs to keep hold of their top England stars and stem the current player drain to France.
The livewire Harlequins playmaker has refused to rule out a move overseas in future, but stopped short of targeting such a switch in the medium term.
Smith’s current Quins contract runs until next summer, but the 24-year-old admitted he has plenty left on his to-do list at The Stoop.
Chief among those aims remains conquering the Champions Cup – and Smith believes more English clubs claiming glory in the top club competition would undoubtedly help keep more top talents on home soil.
Smith also hopes the powers-that-be can find a way for England players to be available more frequently for their clubs, with his own Harlequins opportunities having been limited by his rise to the status of Test match regular.
France’s top clubs have flexed their financial muscle to entice a nucleus of England stars across to the Top 14 for next season, but Premiership salary cap rises in future seasons will close that gap.
The expected Premiership restructuring to 10 teams from the 2024-25 campaign would also end any club and country fixture clashes, leaving Smith’s main wish-list appearing eminently achievable in the next couple of years.
Asked if he would entertain a move to France in future, Smith replied: “I’m still early on in my career. I think obviously I want to experience different cultures, I want to play in different leagues.
“But I’ll do that when the time’s right, for me, for my family, for my girlfriend and in my development as a rugby player and as a person as well.
“But at the minute I’m loving playing in the Premiership, I’m loving playing for Harlequins, and I guess we’ll see what happens in the future.
“When I was younger I wrote in my book that I want to win the Heineken Cup. To do that here in England is extremely tough, but that’s a big draw.
“If you look across to the Top 14 and see the dominance they have in Europe, that’s mainly down to the salary cap.
“If they’ve got more resources and finances to build their squads then they’re probably going to be in a better position to win those tournaments.
“Speaking to other England players across the league, they’re all desperate to play for their club as often as possible, as well as England.
“I’m only able to play for England because of Harlequins. It’s ironic isn’t it that you play well for your club, you go away, and you miss more games – so you have less of a chance to influence the club’s performance in the league.
“There are amendments that can be made in terms of that. So if there’s a compromise that can be made then both parties will benefit, and not just the league but individuals too.
“They’ll be much happier in themselves, be able to make a proper difference for their club and will get more rhythm in their game, which helps them to play better for their country.”
Harlequins will host Bath at Twickenham on Saturday in their penultimate match of the Premiership’s regular season.
Quins must register two more bonus-point wins to finish the season to stand any chance of reaching the play-offs, with a trip to reigning champions Leicester ahead on the final day of the campaign.
Smith inspired Quins to a stunning 40-05 victory over Exeter Chiefs at Twickenham in the rearranged Big Game clash on March 4, and the attack-minded fly-half has his sights set on a similar showing this weekend.
“Thinking back to that Exeter week, there was a lot of focus and desperation in that performance,” said Smith.
“That game was a perfect storm. What it comes down to is the focus during the week and the desperation that we all had as a team and a club.
“We need the same this week because we know what we have to do.”
