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'Marcus, please man, get off the pitch. Save something for the weekend'

(Photo by Jacques Feeney/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Rejuvenated Harlequins have expressed delight with how Marcus Smith has been performing in recent weeks since signing his new contract, assistant coach Jerry Flannery adding that he is glad the youngster has been with them this spring rather than away on Six Nations duty with England. 

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With the 2021 Guinness Six Nations turning out poorly for Eddie Jones, there have been questions as to why he won’t shake-up his squad and make use of the likes of the 22-year-old Smith who is uncapped at Test level but has played for England against the Barbarians in 2019 and was involved in training camps last year. 

England’s loss has been the gain of Harlequins in recent times, the clinical form of Smith to the fore in helping them overcome the loss of director of rugby Paul Gustard. The London club won their first four games post-Gustard and were only beaten last weekend by Newcastle by a late kick at Kingston Park.

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Wales back row Dan Lydiate guests with Jamie Roberts and Dylan Hartley on the latest RugbyPass Offload

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Wales back row Dan Lydiate guests with Jamie Roberts and Dylan Hartley on the latest RugbyPass Offload

All the while, Smith has been showing off his array of talents, an ability that Harlequins were chuffed to retain when the out-half inked his new deal at the club on February 10 after he had been linked with moves elsewhere in the Premiership and to the Top 14 in France.

“He is very, very ambitious,” said assistant Flannery, who arrived at Harlequins last summer before the restart of the 2019/20 Premiership campaign after taking a year out from coaching following his exit from Munster. “That is the thing when you meet him, he is not just talented but he is very, very ambitious. 

“He is very driven. He is pretty much the last guy off the training pitch every single time in terms of the S&C lads having to manage Marcus. They say, ‘Marcus, please man, get off the pitch. Save something for the weekend’. So he is a hard worker. 

“He is very, very talented and I suppose the fact that England haven’t gone well, everyone starts looking at him and saying he should be in with England. But he is playing well for us and I’m glad he is with is. I’m glad he isn’t with England at the moment because he is a really good player. 

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“He is still so young, he’s just 22, but he epitomises a lot of what it is to be a Harlequin with the way he plays. When Marcus is firing he is very difficult to mark because he can create something from nothing.”

Flannery added that Smith’s decision to remain at Harlequins was a massive boost internally for the club following the January departure of Gustard, who will coach next season at Benetton in the revamped Guinness PRO16.   

“With Gussy leaving, if we were to lose Marcus and he was to move on, the game goes on always and we would have kept going but it would probably have seen as quite a negative thing from the club’s point of view.

“It’s well done to Laurie (Dalrymple, CEO) and (general manager) Billy Millard in securing Marcus. It is great that Marcus sees that the club has real ambition and a real plan on what it is looking to do over the next three, four years and he wants to be part of that.”

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J
JPM 53 minutes ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

Unfortunately you don't know anything about French rugby, coaches and players but still making a lot of assumptions and judgements to push your prefabricated and simplistic point of view that Dupont is manipulating everything and is a bad guy. I am not a NZ rugby specialist and wouldn't dare make such theories about what is going on within the ABs team. Therefore my advice to you is to do like Dupont and stay humble when you don't know all the background of the issues !!!


Firstly if you knew a bit of Galthié, he is not the type of coach who is going to ask advice to his players and even his captain about team selection. He is as stubborn as you...


Second Ramos has played a lot of times as 10 with Toulouse and therefore Dupont (in particular when Ntamack is injured and unfortunately it has often happened recently and for long periods). He even played 10 during the last 3 games of the 2024 6N and this was far better performance than the first two games with Jalibert as 10.


Thirdly Jalibert lacked of respect to a La Rochelle player so your theory is once again out.


Fourth as I explained to you Galthié went for a 6-2 bench and Jalibert can only play 10 which doesn't fit that plan. Furthermore as 15 Buros is better under high balls than Ramos and everybody is prepared for a tactical kicking game.


So you can blame Galthié for a lot of things (as you clearly enjoy doing at the end of your post and you should be very happy as an AB fan) but certainly not Dupont. Sorry once more for your conspiracy theory.


And don't worry about potential disharmony in the French team; they are excellent mates around their captain. Jalibert is well known in the French rugby circles to have not a strong character (and we saw that in the WC quarter finals as he is very nervous in any decisive international game unlike Ntamack and Ramos as for his late penalty kick vs England this year).


In conclusion enjoy the game tmrw night. It is good that the ABs are very upset; we should watch a great game of rugby. I hope for running rugby and not too much kicking. With 5 key players injured on our side (Ntamack, Baille, Atonio, Cros and Penaud) and 2 on your side I and various French fans see you as favourites. I obviously hope for another result.


If you are interested you can read a good article in the Guardian on the subject of France-NZ games.

92 Go to comments
K
KB 55 minutes ago
The 'one difference' between Boks and the back-to-back All Blacks

Consistency hasnt been there they have many great players SA were also not unbeaten in the 2023 WC - NZ were in 2015 WC McCaw and Carter Nonu and Smith - SA did not have those Marque players in those postions in 2019 or 2023 - I wouldnt rank them ahead of the 20I5 ABs - They clocked up 60 points against France in the QF - Furthermore I do not believe for one moment SA won 2023 fairly no way - they were so favoured it became obvious that behind the scenes SA the nation bought the title - Their last 3 matches were won by a solitary point there were many contentious decisions that went their way that it became obvious it wasnt coincidence - Sport has been hijacked by a satanic cult just as is Politics

Some players coaches officials and sponsors are involved - they know who they are - its called Freemasonry - any sport that allows betting is corrupt - its not all about money either for these parasites its also about control - Lots of American NFL players have spoken openly about games being scripted - Football is also rigged Referees have been caught on film showing freemason hand signs - The 95 RWC final ranks as the highest and most obvious attempt at cheating There was no way SA were going to allow NZ to gate crash Nelson Mandelas reunification party - NZ were so good they had to posion almost the entire team to get a 3 point win - a Hollywood Movie ( theres your Red Flag ) was made about SAs triumph called Invictus


William Henley wrote a poem called Invictus


It starts


Out of the night that covers me BLACK ( All Blacks ) as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever GODS maybe for my unconquerable Soul ...( Olan says INVICTUS is an evil Malevolent entity who corrupted the Titans ... this is Mandelas double meaning speech ( hes a fraud ) - of thanks for helping overcome SA's adversary NZ - There is only ONE true God Yahuah - Only a false god would be complicit in Cheating Corruption and Harming others to win a RWC for a sick and sinful Nation ) the poem ends with


I am the CAPTAIN of my soul


SA will forever bear the stain of guilt and disgrace over their involvement in poisoning the ABs a day before the 95 RWC Final

11 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

I cannot believe that you don't think the French rugby team coach and captain are not discussing putting Jalibert on the bench in favour of Duponts club teammate that doesn't even play at 10.


This is a terrible, massive insult to a 10 and I'm sure Dupont would also be very enraged if benched for a player that doesn't even play halfback.


A good captain would've insisted to the coach that it was an idea of madness and either select Jalibert or replace him with another 10 if you want him to be reserve.


Jalibert may not be the world's finest tacklers but that's often not a tens main strength that the loose forwards and second five cover. An intercept pass is never great but they happen.


When any player is playing for his club then it's club first, respect doesn't need to be shown to opposition players simply because they're internationals.


Who exactly are you claiming Jalibert hasn't respected? If it's Toulouse international players then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this bench demotion out.


The outcome of selecting Jalibert to the bench and he then throwing his croissants out the window of the team bus immediately prior to playing the Allblacks is a disaster that will be team disharmony as any team mates of Jalibert are in a state of anger and revolt so a performance that will be sub optimal against a team that is thirsting for revenge against France.


I don't know about you but the Allblacks are very upset they've lost twice in a row to France and want to put out a statement performance so this preparation by Galthie of creating havoc looks to me like a coach that is clueless.

92 Go to comments
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