England star Marcus Smith admits the sport is significantly lacking behind others in popularity
The sport badly needs a shot in the arm. Thankfully for rugby’s administrators, players like Marcus Smith are around to provide a ray of hope. England and Harlequins fly-half Smith has quickly emerged as the new face of the English game. Still only 23, he is a wonderful talent.
‘You see sports like NFL, basketball and football and they are miles ahead of us so we have got some catching up to do,’ Marcus Smith said to Dailymail.
‘But I guess we are in a good position because we can see the model works. Hopefully we can market it in our way.
‘It’s not my job to tell other people to do more, but I guess everyone has got a responsibility to influence their circle however big or small that is.
‘If any player in this country gets any of their mates out and about watching a game of rugby, the numbers will grow rapidly. Anything we can do individually is brilliant.
‘I think we’re in an exciting place as players today and potentially that (change) can be a thing we drive. Ultimately, you’ve got to be a good professional, a good person, a good player, and then hopefully people will follow. If that’s the case, it’s your duty to the game of rugby to do that positively and push it forward.’
