British rugby will be home to the best-paid teenager in the world game from next season.
Marcus Smith, still only 18, will be paid a salary of £230,000 a year from next season having been offered the eye-watering deal by his club Harlequins.
It’s the sort of financial package that ensured Smith would sign on after interest from Wasps and other Premiership clubs had been reported.
Smith’s three-year contract is structured to rise at the end of each season and performance-related pay plus potential international appearance fees could see his wage packet rocket even further.
It’s a sign of how highly-rated the apprentice fly-half – who is currently on an academy contract worth £30,000 a year – is by his employers.