Marcus Smith’s magic boot comes at perfect time with Quilter Nations Series looming after impressive PREM Rugby return

Ahead of Harlequins' trip west to face Exeter Chiefs on Sunday - live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - we look at the performance of Marcus Smith after his return to the Quins line-up in the previous weekend's match-up against rivals Saracens. Smith's prodigious display with the boot bodes well not only for Quins after a tough start, but also for his England chances in the Quilter Nations Series.

Highlights: Smith stars as Quins beat Sarries

Video credit: TNT Sports

When the fixture list for the 2025/26 PREM Rugby season was released, Harlequins fans were left to contemplate an ominous start to their campaign.

Quins opened the season at home against champions Bath and then away at Leicester, the top two from last season who went on to meet in the final.

Their third game was the derby against arch-rivals Saracens, who finished eight points and one place ahead of them in sixth last term.

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Things didn't look too bright, then, especially after the loss of head coach Danny Wilson two weeks before the season-opener.

And ahead of last Sunday’s clash at the Stoop against Sarries, Quins were two losses from two, with the pressure heaped on ahead of their London derby showdown.

But they had an ace up their sleeve - Marcus was back.

Yes, star fly-half Marcus Smith returned after his mandatory time off following his exertions with the British & Irish Lions over the summer, and not only that, he had a point to prove.

'That is my position'

Smith has had a mixed time of it at international level of late, with positional changes seeing him move from fly-half to full-back, and sometimes come on as a replacement.

The rapid emergence of his namesake, Fin, up at Northampton, has seen Marcus deployed elsewhere, with Steve Borthwick trying to make use of his considerable talents in more broken field from deeper.

‘Marcus is back!’ – Smith produces ‘magic’ as Harlequins strike first

Video credit: TNT Sports

But, by his own admission, Marcus wants to continue as a 10.

"I am a fly-half, that is my position, the one I have grown up enjoying and it is the reason I fell in love with rugby," Smith told the BBC towards the end of 2024.

"It is a team sport and wherever I am needed, I'm a competitive bloke, so I will fight as hard as I can for the team.

"Sometimes that is going to be at full-back, sometimes it is going to be at 10, but I am still focused on being the best fly-half I can be and kicking on in that position that I love so much, hopefully for club and country."

A 'different way' to win

Returning to the Saracens clash, it became clear very early on that with Smith back at 10, Quins were getting creative. But not in the traditional sense.

Throughout their history, Quins have had a reputation as a high-risk, high-reward attacking team. But that changed somewhat, as Quins launched a mammoth 32 kicks and sought to go forward in a different way.

Marcus Smith's kicking visualised by Oval Hub

Image credit: Other Agency

New Quins head coach Jason Gilmore did say it might not be the traditional Quins way, but he wanted to find a way to get more consistency and Smith’s boot was a big part of that.

"Was it Quins? I’m not sure, but it was certainly a different way to win a game of football," Gilmore said afterwards.

"I don’t think it’ll be something you’ll see in our game regularly. We are Harlequins and we want to use the ball and we want to be scoring four tries a game. That’s our DNA.

"Last season we were way too up and down. The consistency wasn’t enough to compete for trophies. We know our good is good, but our bad last season was bad."

Speaking on TNT Sports, Quins winger Cadan Murley was asked by club legend Danny Care about kicking being a key part of the plan and the winger echoed his coach’s views on trying to find consistency.

"I think off the back of the last two games as well, we played so well in parts but we were just playing out of our half and in the wrong areas of the pitch," he said.

Murley on Quins-Sarries rivalry: They hate us and fair enough

Video credit: TNT Sports

"So Marcus, Ports [scrum-half Will Porter], their boot was incredible today, putting up contestables, Marcus putting it down the middle making them exit, so yeah, it was definitely something we went after and I think an area where we came out on top."

Gilmore’s Saracens counterpart Mark McCall admitted his team were caught off guard by the game plan Quins brought to the table.

"Marcus kicked beautifully and put us under pressure," McCall said. "We probably didn’t prepare the team in the way we should have for what came and that’s obviously my fault.

"But we expect the playing group to react better to that than we did. We then lost intent in all the important things. It’s not a performance we can be proud of."

Masterful execution bodes well for the Autumn

You can see by looking at the numbers just how well Quins' plan worked.

Through the first two games of the season, Quins had 24 and 28 kicks in play. Against Sarries, that number rose to 32 and their kick metres was the highest of the season so far at 923m.

But perhaps most crucially of all, they had eight retained kicks and 15 overall that were contestable. In the first two games combined they had five retained kicks and six that were contestable.

Harlequins kicking 25/26	v Bath	v Leicester	v Saracens
Kicks in Play	24	28	32
Kick Metres	628	849	923
Retained Kicks	3	2	8
Kick Box	12	12	7
Contestable	4	2	15
Kicks Bounced	7	9	12
Penalty Kick Metres	72	85	104
All Kick Metres	700	934	1027

Bringing Smith back into the fold has given Quins a whole new dimension to what they can do.

Murley heaped praise on Smith after the game, saying that he thought he "controlled that game brilliantly," and said his game-management is getting better and better as he matures.

'Controlled that game brilliantly' - Murley full of praise for Smith after win over Saracens

Video credit: TNT Sports

Both Smith and Quins will likely want to get back to their more traditional style of play, and during the game you saw little glimpses of Smith’s creativity; be that clever little dinks over the Saracens defence or the trademark jinks as he tried to elude defenders.

But not having other ways to win last season was something that hurt Harlequins, so this kind of versatility could be vital if they’re going to find a way back into the top four.

"Against different opposition you’ve got to be able to play different ways," Murley told TNT Sports.

"Sarries are a team that bring massive line speed, probably one of the best defences in the league. If you try and play out of your own half you’re just going to get hit behind the gain line, so you’ve got to be able to play in those right areas of the pitch and to have the likes of Rodrigo [Isgro], Marcus’ kicking game, Ports’ kicking game it just brings another element so we’re a bit unpredictable when teams analyse us."

Moving forward, it bodes well for Smith at international level. If he can continue to demonstrate the various strings to his bow and maintain his level with the boot, that can put him in the England No. 10 driving seat for the upcoming Quilter Nations Series - live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

For now, Smith and Quins will have their attention turned to Exeter on Sunday, another team who have won just once thus far.

You can find out how they get on, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Watch PREM Rugby, the PWR and the Quilter Nations Series live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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