England’s rising star is determined to remain grounded despite the hype with help of family and a World Cup-winning mentor
Marcus Smith is talking about his haircut. Some of his family love it, others think it is time for a change. It is likely to stay for now but Smith is not ruling anything out if it gets too long and starts affecting his performance. All pretty banal stuff and barely worth mentioning but for the manner in which he dealt with the question.
There is no bashfulness, no awkwardness about discussing his appearance. Just an enthusiastic, well-rounded response that gives little away. Smith turned 23 on Monday, he has only seven England caps to his name but already seems to have mastered the art of engaged deflection.
