Harlequins Captain Stephan Lewies believes that Marcus Smith will be the best player in the world, once the fly half reaches his prime. Smith is already considered one of the world’s best halfbacks, with Lewies confident in his teammates’ potential.
Harlequins take on Saracens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this Saturday, in the ‘Showdown 3′. Saracens’ marquee event has the undeniable headline battle between Marcus Smith and his England team rival Owen Farrell at the forefront. Lewies bestowed the upmost praise on Smith, ahead of this weekend’s London derby.
“He’s got all the strings if he needs be, we obviously like attacking rugby and he’s really good at it, that’s his strength. But I think if the plan is for him to put the balls in corners and he understands that plan, he can definitely do that as well.
“I think this international campaign, he would have learned a lot from that. He’ll come back and I think you’ll see a more rounded Marcus Smith for that. He is one of the hardest working players I’ve ever played with, he always wants to learn doesn’t matter who it is from.
“He’s like a sponge, just takes things in, and I’ve no doubt that he’ll just get better and better and better as the years go on. And he’ll be a player, one of those players that can do it all when he peaks one day, so I don’t think he’s a finished product.
“I think he will tell you that that himself. But one day will be, and he has aspirations to be the best in the world, and I don’t have any doubt that he will be.”
This current Gallagher Premiership campaign is one of the tightest competitions in the leagues’ history. Harlequins currently sit at eighth in the table, yet are only eight points adrift of the play-off places. This match against Saracens is crucial for Quins, if they want to climb up the league for a chance at the title. Lewies recognises how no match has a guaranteed result this season.
“I think it’s frustrating when you have high standards for yourself and the club, and then we’re sitting around, we’re eighth in the table. But I think the league is so close at the minute, a few good performances and wins, and all of a sudden, you solidly back into the top four again.
“So it just shows how competitive this competition is for one. The team that’s tenth can beat the team that second on their day. So there’s no easy games in this competition, which makes it one of the best, if not the best competition in the world. Like you say it’s been frustrating, but we have a chance to set that right to the end of the of the season.”
The international stars of the Six Nations make their club returns, with Saracens and Harlequins featuring many players set to make their club comebacks. Lewies recognises how Saracens have international players all throughout their squad, and will be tough opposition this weekend.
“Yeah, definitely a big challenge. It’s a massive challenge. They are a world class outfit. They’ve won many trophies, and then playing at the big stadium, their players have been there, done that, been in World Cup finals. So they know all about big occasions and big games.
“And then like you said, they will also have their English players back. So for us, that’s probably the biggest reason why we’re concentrating on ourselves this week. That gives us the biggest chance to really put out a performance day on the day, that were proud of and then off the back of that the results would really take care of itself.”
Lewies is excited to run out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the sense of occassion certainly reaching a feverpitch in the Harlequins camp. The Six Nations players are back, the team is firing on all cylinders, with the stage set for a memorable showdown against the London rivals.
“Yeah, there’s a lot to be excited about. I think having our England players back one, and then two playing against Sarries at Tottenham, one of the best stadiums in the country and newer stadiums, obviously. So there’s a real excitement and a buzz around playing in that stadium.
I Think (Joe) Marler went and played there with the Barbarians, and then he came back and was saying how cool it was. So well, for the rest of us to go there and experience that is something to look forward to. And then yeah, for us to put in a performance this week is really important.”