Harlequins star Marcus Smith backed to reach 100 England caps despite international struggles - 'How lucky we are... so much yet to come'
Published 31/03/2026 at 15:21 GMT+1
Marcus Smith's role for England remains a topic of discussion after the 27-year-old featured predominantly as a substitute during the Six Nations. The Harlequins fly-half now has 50 caps to his name, but TNT Sports expert David Flatman has suggested there could be bigger things to come. However, the form of fellow fly-half Fin Smith has made things more difficult.
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TNT Sports expert and former England prop David Flatman insists there is "so much more yet to come" from Marcus Smith in an England shirt.
Coming off the bench, the versatile fly-half earned his 50th cap in England's dramatic Six Nations defeat to France.
Despite the significance of that achievement, the 27-year-old is no longer a regular starter under Steve Borthwick.
There is an ongoing debate about how England might get the best out of Smith, undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the country.
"The good thing about Marcus Smith is we all know what's there," Flatman told TNT Sports. "He's playing for Quins at the moment, who've been struggling for a while, so that doesn't help.
"It's easy to say if he played better, they'd play better. It's very, very difficult. A lot of the players there are not playing as well as they can.
"There's a lot of credit in the bank with a player like him. There's a lot more to come, we know what he's got to give.
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"In the last year, how many times has he looked likely to get player of the match for England compared to his first year? Maybe you could argue that.
"Young bloke, loads of caps, tons of talent. He's clearly got a good attitude, he's a good pro, works hard, humble bloke.
"How lucky we are to have someone like him from whom there is so much yet to come.
"I don't want to tempt fate, but would it be a massive shock if he ended up a 100-Test player? Not a massive shock to me. So I'd say he's going alright."
While Smith has featured at full-back for England, he remains an option at fly-half, though his namesake, Fin Smith, got the nod in the Six Nations.
"England's fly-half debate is fun," Flatman said. "You've got three fly-halves really that you'd probably start in any game. You wouldn't really worry about any of them. Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, George Ford.
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"At this stage, England's last game against France, they didn't quite manage to win but, jeez, they looked good for lots of that. Great fun to watch. Fin Smith played 10, so the jersey's his you'd say for now."
Flatman also gave his thoughts on England's backline as a whole, and whether Northampton Saints players Smith, Alex Mitchell, Fraser Dingwall, Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme could provide a consistent foundation based on their familiarity at club level.
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"Why not build your backline around Northampton Saints? Except there are some brilliant players playing for other top PREM teams," he said.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea, but then I think to myself, 'why don't you build your backline around the best players for that match'. Revolutionary, I know. Maybe I should be an England coach!"
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