The Harlequins and England fly-half on his remarkable year, how he handles the success and being ‘mugged off’ by his brothers
The secret to Marcus Smith’s rapid rise over the past 12 months is be found inside the notebooks he has spent years filling with his innermost thoughts. He still finds it helpful to write down his hopes and dreams even if, to others, it reads like a fantasy wish list. “I’m a big believer that if you constantly write your goals down you set your mind on to something. If you set your mind properly you can almost achieve anything.”
This time last year three of his career ambitions – winning a Premiership title with Harlequins, touring with the British & Irish Lions and starting big Test matches for England – were a long way from being realised. Quins were stuttering badly, not least in Europe. Racing 92 ripped them apart 49-7 at the Stoop shortly before Christmas, and the boyish Smith was being courted by Bath, Lyon and Toulon, among others.
