Marcus Smith teams up with MLR's Miami Sharks in USA

No sooner had the Guinness Six Nations drawn to a close than England’s Marcus Smith was jetting off to the United States during his time off.

While his Harlequins team-mates, bereft of their England stars, were earning a comeback win over Saracens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the return of the Gallagher Premiership, England’s utility back was in Florida, teaming up with Major League Rugby’s Miami Sharks.

This was all part of Roc Nation Sports’ plans to build the 26-year-old’s profile across the Atlantic, with the men’s World Cup taking place in the States in 2031, and the women’s installment two years later.

The Sharks boast players Smith has faced in both Harlequins colours and in an England shirt, including Argentinian internationals Tomas Cubelli and Matias Orlando, who both started in Miami’s 31-12 loss to the San Diego Legion over the weekend in California. Any past rivalries were put to one side on this occasion, however, as Smith overlooked a training session before joining the squad for a meal.

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Smith’s stateside trip also saw him indulge in a sporting feast, watching the Miami Heat in the NBA and visiting David Beckham’s Inter Miami, for whom superstars Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez play.

The visit came during Smith’s rest period after a Six Nations where he featured in every match as England finished second. It was a Championship where he started in round one against Ireland as a fly-half and finished as a full-back as England registered a record 14-68 victory over Wales in Cardiff. Smith was joined in Steve Borthwick’s squad by the latest addition to RNS’ rugby roster, Ollie Lawrence, who signed a deal with the organisation in January.

Despite being almost 5,000 miles away, the 44-cap international did not miss his club-mates achieve an unlikely win over their London rivals in front of 55,000 fans, which lifted them to fourth place in the league.