“Magic” Marcus Smith might just be England’s fastest player over 20 metres.
The fly-half is flourishing at full-back, thanks in part to sharpening his speed work across a punishing summer.
Henry Arundell is so quick that fellow wing Max Malins admitted the former London Irish star even sounds different from all the other England players when he sprints; stamping the turf that bit harder and generating pace by driving the feet into the ground and pushing out.
But even 20-year-old Arundell admits that Smith could possibly have him and all England’s other speedsters on toast over a shorter burst.
Arundell would burn Smith over 40m, but the Harlequins star’s acceleration off the mark is now so sharp as to put him ahead of the chasing England pack.
Racing 92 new signing Arundell hailed Smith as England’s “magic” man for the 24-year-old’s stunning two-try turn at No15 in Saturday’s 71-0 thrashing of Chile.
England racked up 11 tries in Lille in their third World Cup clash. Arundell claimed five of those finishes, equalling England’s record for tries in a single Test.
England’s two tyros will be desperate to flex all their fast-twitch muscle fibres again when Steve Borthwick’s side face Samoa, back here on October 7.
And Smith and Arundell would dearly love to feature in England’s now likely quarter-final a week later in Marseille.
There is scope for both to partake in England’s World Cup proper, which ultimately starts now. Head coach Steve Borthwick would have to make a few tweaks to his set-up to fit both men into his line-up, but that is not out of the realms of possibility.
The likeliest proposition is that Freddie Steward will start the biggest games at full-back, with Elliot Daly and Jonny May on the wings. But Smith could be deployed at full-back from the off in the coming matches if England consider switching Steward to wing.
The Leicester high-ball supremo could cover the backfield from the flank, allowing Smith to lurk as counter-attacking and link-man threat. Such a recalibration would likely leave no space for Arundell, but then Steward does not boast top-line speed.
So, perhaps an arch-finisher with classic wing pace would provide a fine foil on the other flank.
England finally have genuine options and different configurations to ponder. This is a big step forward from both the Six Nations and the summer warm-up Tests. A month ago, England were staring into the abyss, after a first-ever defeat by Fiji to close their four-match World Cup preparatory series. Now, they are three wins from three, injury and suspension free, and eyeing a place in the last eight.
England have been trying to find a niche for Smith for some time, without success until now. In the Six Nations, temporary attack coach Nick Evans devised a turn-by-turn set-up where Owen Farrell and Smith would trade in and out at fly-half; a smart idea that fell short in practice and sent England back to the drawing board.
Assistant coaches Richard Wigglesworth and Kevin Sinfield struck upon shifting Smith to full-back, though, and immediately on Saturday he was able to build a proper partnership with Farrell.
Smith’s extra pace could be the threat to set him apart in selection and put opponents on notice. George Ford and Farrell are primed to reprise their 10-12 duo for the crunch clashes now.
Smith stepping off the bench to conduct play from the backfield will rightly give any opposing side genuine pause. The high-octane Harlequin joked he pulled a Forrest Gump impression when zipping in for his first try against Chile.
He might not have been born to run like the fictional American everyman, but Smith has honed that new-found pace and now he is in full flow.
