Dan Carter has been discussing some of the best fly-halves around today ahead of England’s clash with New Zealand next weekend.
The All Blacks legend did the interview as part of the promotion for his new upcoming book www.thisisopus.com.
#4. Marcus Smith (England)
Carter told the Mail Online: “Owen’s played enough test matches now to slot in at 10 or 12. The big thing is you’ve got an in-form Marcus Smith who Is a real talent and you can’t afford to leave out.
“Marcus is only going to get better the longer he plays. It’s a good problem to have. Owen can allow Marcus to go out there and play without feeling too much responsibility.
“The more often they play together in pressure situations, the more the trust in that combination will build.’”
Marcus Smith Facts:
- Smith was born in Manila in the Philippines and picked up the game at the age of 7 with Centaurs RFC when his family decided to move to Singapore, he learnt the game there before moving to Sussex as a 13-year old
- His Dad, Jeremy Smith lived in Hong Kong from 1992-97, playing for Valley and the national side at fly-half
- At just 18 years of age and 200 days, he made his Premiership debut at Twickenham to become the youngest fly-half to start in the top flight since a 17-year old George Ford
- He is known to many of his teammates as Smudge, which is the traditional military nickname for anyone with the surname Smith.