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Harlequins and England fly-half Marcus Smith has challenged himself to step up and show his ability to direct and inspire his team-mates in the coming season.
“This year it is going to be especially important to show my leadership,” Smith told BBC 5 Live’s Rugby Union Weekly.
“We have obviously had some big players leaving the club – some stalwarts like Will Collier [Castres in France] and the man mountain outside me Andre Esterhuizen [Sharks in South Africa] – so there is going to be an added responsibility on us older players. I want to bring that more to the table.”
The 25-year-old, who has 35 Test caps, is a contender to make a second British and Irish Lions tour next summer after being called up to the 2021 trip to South Africa as a Test rookie.
He believes his experience in the southern hemisphere this summer has strengthened the mental side of his game.
Smith missed three kicks in England’s 16-15 defeat by New Zealand in Dunedin, but recovered to deliver a much-improved performance off the tee in the second Test the following week.
“I personally struggled after the first Test in New Zealand,” Smith added.
“I think it knocked me back a bit.
“It was a missed opportunity going down to New Zealand and getting so close.
“That is my job as a kicker – to put the points over for the lads – and I didn’t do my job to the levels I wanted to.
“But I am glad I was given the nod to kick again the week after and I felt I kicked a lot better in that game.
“I learned a lot about myself, about resilience and dealing with different crowds.
“They were shouting and booing and it was a new experience for me – hopefully it will put me in a better position if I get another opportunity to tour there again.”
Harlequins finished sixth for a second consecutive season in their last campaign, shipping an average of almost 29 points a game, and Smith says the recruitment of Australian defence coach Jason Gilmore will be key to making the play-offs.
“I have only worked with him in the last week and a half, but the level of detail has been a level up from any defence coach I have had at Quins,” said Smith.
“If we can improve that 10-15%, I think we will be there or thereabouts.”