Marcus Smith has revealed England legend Jonny Wilkinson‘s help in becoming mentally “bulletproof”.
Harlequins fly-half Smith has established himself as the owner of England’s No10 shirt, impressing in the first two rounds of the Six Nations.
The spotlight is now very much on the 23-year-old and he is having to deal with the pressure of being the poster boy of English rugby.
Smith, however, has been able to call upon the knowledge of Wilkinson, who led England to World Cup glory in 2003 and had to cope with a similar level of fame and attention.
“For me, it has been brilliant working with Jonny,” said Smith. “I have been working with him and I have been very lucky to work with him for the last four or so years.
“Every time I meet him I leave our session or meeting with a new breath of life.
“He is exciting to talk to, he teaches me a lot, not just about rugby, not just about kicking, but about a way of living your life, a way of being when pressure comes on, when pressure is not on, when things go your way, when things don’t go your way.
“Because if you can learn to control those sort of things then you eventually become bulletproof - where he was at the latter stages of his career - and I would reckon that’s why he was so successful. I am learning a lot off him with regards to my mental strength and stability.
“[He has been giving me advice] around controlling your emotions. When things go well, it’s never as good as it seems and when things go badly, it’s never as bad as it seems.
“Trying to keep a level head, having good perspective in your life, allows you to stay level and on the path that you and your coaches and your family have agreed, and want you to get to.”
