The stage was set and the greatest showman duly showed up. Harlequins like to give their supporters a great day out at their annual Big Game and, sure enough, Marcus Smith produced his full repertoire of tricks to leave England’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, in no doubt about his ability or relish for the big occasion.
Having been omitted from England’s training camp in Brighton this week, the onus was on Smith to prove a timely point and the fly-half did so spectacularly with a man of the match performance. The ball remains in Borthwick’s court ahead of his team’s Six Nations game against France at this same venue next weekend but Smith could not have done much more in terms of underlining his talent and state of readiness.
A below-par Exeter did not always help themselves but, with Borthwick and England’s current attack coach, Nick Evans, in attendance, Smith was at the heart of a fizzing home performance, directly setting up two tries and nailing all but one of his place kicks. “He was sharp so he’s going to make selection really difficult for Steve and the England coaches,” said Quins’ head coach, Tabai Matson. “He did what Steve asked him to do. Will he be an option this week? Only Steve knows that but he’s put his best foot forward and shown there’s another way. Tonight we saw a masterclass in finding space.”
At times everything felt almost pre-ordained, particularly in the first quarter. One lovely Smith dummy outfoxed the onrushing Chiefs chasers and, for good measure, there was also an effective tackle on the high-stepping Christ Tshiunza. Then, with little on just outside the home 22, the fly-half spotted some space over the top and a deft little chip gave André Esterhuizen the chance to put a gleeful Cadan Murley over at the other end.
It was the perfect example of what Smith can conjure, given the freedom and licence to do so. If England want a fly-half who gives the roulette wheel a calculated spin, there is none better in the land. If they want someone to play the percentages and prioritise territory and a relentless kicking game, there are more pragmatic options available.
What you see in club rugby, clearly, is not always what you get at Test level. That said, it would be the most colossal waste of talent if Smith does end up being relegated to the role of tackle bag holder and water carrier in the short and medium term. Given Owen Farrell’s recent travails off the tee, Smith’s touchline conversion of Joe Marchant’s second try, set up by a neat Danny Care grubber kick, delivered perhaps the heftiest nudge of all.
If you were to be hyper-critical you could point to one missed conversion and a mis-hit drop goal but, even taking into account the costliness of Harvey Skinner being sent to the sin-bin and Exeter’s lack of penetration, his energising effect was almost tangible. It was one of those days when almost everything stuck for Quins, not least the outrageous back-door offload from Care in the right corner which allowed a grateful Sam Riley to register his side’s third try. On replay it seemed the ball might have flown forwards but the referee, Matt Carley, chose not to be a killjoy.
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
There was also more than a hint of a forward pass in the buildup to Quins’ bonus point try but, once again, play carried on and Smith unselfishly gave Marchant the chance to finish off another thrilling 60-metre team score. At 26-0 down at half-time there was no coming back for the visitors and, despite a consolation for Jack Innard, the only remaining question was exactly how many points Quins would ultimately rack up.
Their back row delivered almost as resounding a performance as Faithless had done prior to the game and the skipper, Stephan Lewies, deserved to get on the scoresheet. It is also a result that propels Quins right back in to the playoff picture, although they must now head to Bristol next weekend to face the suddenly resurgent Bears. Whether they will be able to call on Smith for that fixture, after this cane-twirling exhibition, must surely be doubtful. Can England really afford to do without him?
