‘Student’ Smith is a class act set to light up autumn
FARRELL BACKING QUINS STAR TO BOOST ENGLAND
OWEN FARRELL told Twickenham to get ready for an autumn passion play from England after hopping on board the Marcus Smith bandwagon.
The effervescent Harlequin is set to wear the No.10 jersey with Farrell outside him during the Autumn Nations Series after George Ford’s axing.
When Ford was left out for Danny Cipriani three years ago on tour in South Africa, Farrell’s disdain for his temporary new midfield partner was all too clear.
But the England captain has taken a shine to Smith, revealing the 22-year-old is looking and sounding the part at the squad’s Jersey training camp ahead of the upcoming Tests against Tonga, Australia and South Africa.
Farrell said: “It’s his passion for the game – it oozes out of him. He wears his heart on his sleeve and that’s a massive asset.
“He seems like he is confident, because for me, he’s done the work. He understands the game and knows exactly what he wants to get out of it.
“He speaks sense and that helps your confidence and helps when it comes to playing in the position that he does. He is doing that really well at the minute.
“He’s someone who can unlock a game himself but he’s also got a brilliant eye for how to make a team work as well. That sort of balance, you want to make sure he keeps and he’s got the attitude to do that hopefully for a long time.” Farrell was caught reacting in exasperated fashion when Cipriani, below, chose to chip ahead in Cape Town against the Boks in 2018 – which ironically led to a try.
If that relationship was oil and water, the bond with Smith is already much stronger, with Farrell having roomed with him when he was an England apprentice and grown to know more when he joined the Lions tour as an injury replacement in the summer.
“He is a brilliant lad and he’s not just a very talented player but a proper student of the game,” said Farrell.
“He loves chatting about rugby, so that made it easy for me to get on with him.
“I’m happy to help wherever. Marcus loves trying to understand the game a bit better. If I can help him to do that in any way possible, I’d love to.” After seeing Ford and the Vunipola brothers axed, Farrell, who is set to play his 100th international against Tonga at Twickenham a week on Saturday, is relieved to be part of the squad. “I have never thought anyone was undroppable,” said Farrell. “You always have to work hard to be in this team, to play in these games.
“You’re waiting for a phone call to see if you’re picked. You don’t want to expect too much.”
Farrell is expecting more from himself in this campaign after head coach Eddie Jones’s observation he underperformed in last season’s Six Nations, where England trailed in fifth.
The Saracen said: “I’d agree with him. I could have played better. I’d agree there’s parts of my game that I want to get back to and do more of.
“Every time I come into camp it’s massively exciting to get together with this group and see how far we can possibly take it. That’s the same for me from an individual point of view.”