Marcus Smith was instrumental in the creation of Harlequins Photo: PA/Bradley Collyer Harlequins 36 Sale Sharks 3
Steve Borthwick watched England's post: World Cup plans were firmly in his mind as Marcus Smith inspired Quins' thumping win over leaders Sale.
The midfielder also won his personal duel with George Ford to help the Londoners climb to the top second place in the Premier League table. .
Smith was outstanding on a cold night at Twickenham, pulling the strings and putting his best foot forward at The Stoop.
With the number 10 jersey in the England squad, ready to fight for victory. Six Nations following Owen Farrell's decision to sit out the Championship, Smith has certainly pushed Borthwick in his direction.
The 24-year-old is determined to be one of the first names in the Borthwick squad when he names his first team after World Championships in February. But after spending much of the World Cup as a full-back, he is hungry for a midfield role in the Six Nations.
Ford will also be keen to take advantage of the opportunity as Farrell has decided to “prioritize his mental well-being and the well-being of his family” and is unavailable for selection. But in this game, Smith beat Ford. And he has that three-dimensional positivity that Borthwick's new England will need.
Not that Smith was keen to highlight his performance after the match; he was more concerned about the fact that Queens had returned to winning ways after two straight defeats. He said: “The group have had to dig deeper in the last couple of weeks. Losing to rival Sarries at home was painful. We needed to get our Premier League campaign back on track.
“The forwards push forward really well and it was easy for us defenders to do the rest. The crowd is behind us. When they took three points it was a huge positive for us. We'll enjoy it first and then think about racing next week. We know how physical they can be and how much they enjoy passing the ball.”
Queens boss Billy Millard added: “Marcus was excellent again. He, like the other boys competing at the World Championships, admits that it has been difficult for them to get back to the level they expected to be in terms of performance, but tonight he was definitely on top.”
Smith left Ford in the shadows while the Sharks enjoyed a brilliant start to the season with six wins from seven games, facing a nasty obstacle in the form of Queens.
Smith helped start the season. a smash with a cross-field kick behind the Sale defense helped set up the first try; Sale defender Joe Carpenter let the ball slip through his hands and defender Tyrone Green pounced on it and earned it (see video below).
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Tyrone Green takes on @Harlequins with opportunistic opening try 💪#GallagherPrem | #HARvSAL pic.twitter.com/VcNoIClAZq
— Premier Rugby League (@premrugby) December 1, 2023
All Sale could muster was a long period of standing on the Quins line before half-time, which helped them secure three points from the penalty spot.
Smith picked up where he left off in the second half as Quins sent Sale to the sword. A dummy, break and overload to Danny Care sent his England teammate over the line for his second try (see video below).
Marcus Magic 🤩@MarcuSmith10 teams up with @dannycare for second try of the night 🙌
Watch live on @rugbyontnt 📺#GallagherPrem | #HARvSAL pic.twitter.com/OHeI4bCHTB
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) December 1, 2023
Selling lost wing Arron Reid to the sin bin for deliberate knocking, England could easily block Jonny Hill was also yellow-carded for his involvement in a touchline brawl sparked by a powerful tackle from Chandler Cunningham-South and a push on Gus Warr.
Queens were unstoppable and cruised to victory. A try from hooker Sam Riley and a brace from Will Joseph completed the rout.
Rugby sales director Alex Sanderson, whose side are due to prepare for the European Cup tie at Stade Francais, said: “We are disappointed and humiliated. Queens showed their best and we probably showed our worst. It's always hard to lose here because here they shove it in your face. You have to be right morally, otherwise you will lose all the important battles and you will have to go home for a long time, licking your wounds.”
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