At an early age he ran training and even gave the team talks

Marcus stood out as soon as he arrived at Brighton College as a 13-year-old. He may not have been tall but he had presence. Right from the beginning, he showed this ability to get the best out of those around him. Even at that young age he was able to tell people what to do, or correct them, without any of them taking offence or falling out with him. That is a very special skill.

His rugby brain works quickly. He sees the picture in front of him and makes good decisions as a result. Marcus does not overcomplicate things. You saw that in his cricket, even. He was not the most naturally talented but he scored a century for the college by simply putting the ball into the gap and running. That shows a natural understanding of sport, a virtue that is not always present in youngsters these days because they have not grown up kicking or hitting a ball in streets or gardens.

His two brothers, Luc and Tomas, are at the school as well and you can see the influence of the family in all of them. They are all down-to-earth and wellmannered. The boys are encouraged by their parents to keep things in perspective.

We identified that Marcus had potential early on and so created an environment that would stretch and challenge him. There is a lot of talk about the importance of the player-led experience but, unless you give them a chance to take the lead, they will not be able to develop it. So we got Marcus to run training, help others and even organise an entire sevens event, from planning to tactics to half-time talks, the whole lot.

He took it all in his stride, as he did when dashing from his A-level maths exam to an England training session here at the college.

Marcus does not get easily fazed. He played for the first XV three years early and was still at school when playing for England Under-20s.

Eddie Jones spent time here at Brighton College when preparing Japan for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. We asked if he would take a look at Marcus. Eddie obviously liked what he saw. He and England have been back several times since. He will be here again at the start of January for a brief camp. Let us hope Marcus is, too. He deserves what comes his way.