Marcus Smith says he feels a huge responsibility to help boost the profile of rugby as the club game battles for financial survival.
The England fly-half takes on Northampton tomorrow [Sun] with Harlequins, arguably the Premiership’s most entertaining team and a club used to capacity crowds.
The picture elsewhere is dire with £500 million of debt across the top flight, Wasps and Worcester fighting for their lives - Warriors’ payroll was again not met yesterday - and fears for the future of club rugby as a whole at professional level.
Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio warned that “there’s an audience for rugby but it’s an audience that needs to grow if the game is going to stay sustainable.”
Damian Hopley, until recently boss of the players’ union, added that rugby needs it headline players to have a bigger voice and more of a say in the game.
There is no brighter star in England than Smith, 23, whose spectacular try clinched the Test series in Australia over the summer.
The 13-cap playmaker recognises both the fragility of rugby’s business model and the need for everyone involved to really step up and promote the sport.
“You see sports like NFL, basketball, football and they are miles ahead of us,” he said. “We have some catching up to do
“We are the patrons for the game at the minute and I feel very responsible. It’s a show, we’re entertainers at the end of the day.
“Our role as players is to lift the profile and inspire youngsters in this country; build the game, lift it to a new level.
“At Quins we’re very grateful for our owners but what’s happening with Worcester and, potentially, Wasps shows how fragile it can be.
Lewis Ludlam, Northampton captain and England team mate of Smith, conceded last week that when players are asked to do appearances at schools or come and do stuff [on TV], “people don’t want to do it”.
He told BT Sport : “We are all guilty of it. But if we want to grow the game there are the things we need to be getting out and doing.”
With more than 200,000 followers on Instagram Smith is already doing his bit to bring new eyeballs to rugby.
“God, he’s so impressive, isn’t he,” said Quins boss Tabai Matson. “A young man running a Test match like that and winning a series in Australia, damn.”
Asked if growing the game can be the legacy of his generation, Smith said: “Potentially, that can be a thing that we drive.
“It is not my place to tell other people to do more but I know I have a responsibility to speak my mind if ever I'm able to influence anything.”
It would be totally wrong to put the onus completely on players, as administrators need to deliver a structured season and the sport as a whole has to start living within its means.
But there is no doubt rugby needs to harvest more of its stardust if it is to truly escape the sporting margins.
Claim your tickets as Harlequins host Northampton Saints here
