Smith getting square eyes from analysis of the greats
HARLEQUINS’ assistant coach Nick Evans has been clocking up the hours in front of the laptop as he bids to further teenage flyhalf Marcus Smith’s education.
Evans, the former New Zealand and Quins 10, has been analysing the world’s leading stand-offs to help Smith who, at 19 and in his second season, is expected to run the show for his side.
Smith has made England training squads, although he was omitted from the Autumn international group, and Evans says he still has plenty to learn.
The 38-year-old is helping out by poring over endless show reels of the game’s glory boys.
“We have been watching what Danny Cipriani does in games and how he manages attack,” said Evans. “We look at Owen Farrell and how he manages a game. What is Beauden Barrett doing, what is Hendre Pollard doing, why are South Africa going well?
“What is Bernard Foley doing? It is just picking out all this information and he is like a sponge he takes it all in. We talk about it.
“The other day we watched Farrell against Bath and how he managed the game – how can we link it back to what we are doing? We watch the Rugby Championship and what the All Blacks are doing – it is just being a student of the game. You build a memory bank.
“We talked about second season syndrome and we talked about not even thinking about that. It is almost a myth and people just throw it out there. He wants to improve and he is a winner. He goes out and it might be a warm-up game and he wants to win.
“We talked about him adapting and competition in the squad with Dimitri Catrakilis coming back in and James Lang.
“The guys understand there is competition in the squad and it drives them.
“The biggest thing for him is experience and he has got a lot of experience to gain and to mature.”
Smith, a product of the Quins academy, was the second youngest debutant in the Premiership behind George Ford, aged 18 years and 200 days, when he played against London Irish in September last year.
It is a far cry from how Evans started his 17-year professional career that saw him win 16 caps for New Zealand before moving to Quins and racking up a club record 2,249 points.
Evans had not even played a professional game when he was Smith’s age.
“What was I doing at 18 or 19? I wasn’t even playing pro rugby for a start,” added Evans. “I was cutting fish heads off down at the docks, during university, and playing club rugby. I wasn’t anywhere near this kind of environment.
“I grew my experience through club rugby, hard shifts in the mud with guys that want to stamp on your head. He has got a different route and has got to learn as fast as he can but he is in a position to grow very fast.”