#4. Marcus Smith (England)
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Gatland wrote: “Smith has to be on here. When we brought him out on the Lions I was incredibly impressed with him. His running game is special, being able to put players into holes. There’s less space at Test level, but Smith has the makings of an absolute superstar and can be the difference for England. I like his maturity, the balance he has in his game with kick-run-pass, he communicates well. That relationship can continue with Owen Farrell.”
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.
#5. Louis Rees-Zammit (Wales)
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Gatland wrote: “Everyone at the moment is really excited about him given his performances for Gloucester. I look forward to seeing him step up this weekend against the All Blacks and seeing how he has improved at international level. He has that blistering pace and finishing ability, but the challenge is how much ball is he going to get.”
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