Marcus Smith has revealed Olympic great Daley Thompson as the secret behind his startling acceleration.
Fly-half Smith has thrived in the new position of full-back at the Rugby World Cup with England, in part thanks to hard graft to become the fastest Red Rose man over 10 metres.
The Harlequins playmaker has worked closely with England sprint technician Jonas Dodoo, but also explained how double Olympic decathlon champion Thompson has boosted his off-the-line pace.
Smith came off the bench to help England squeeze past Samoa 18-17 in Lille on Saturday, with Steve Borthwick’s side now gearing up to face Fiji in Sunday’s quarter-final in Marseille.
And now the 24-year-old Smith has extolled the virtues of adding extra pace to his approach, following in the fleet-footed steps of speed-king playmakers like New Zealand duo Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett.
“For the last five or six years I’ve been working hard on my speed,” said Smith.
“Guys like Richie Mo’unga, guys like Beauden Barrett, these sort of guys, they have the ability to score not just 10-metre tries but 50 or 60, and that is something that I wanted to add to my game.
“Credit goes to people that I’ve worked with down in Brighton, Daley Thompson. They put a lot of effort into me and I’ve loved every minute training with those guys.
“It’s been a joy and it has definitely opened my eyes to sprinting and speed work.”
Smith has spent countless hours sprinting up a 250-metre incline on Brighton seafront, with Thompson standing at the top grinning as he puts the highly talented Harlequin through his paces.
Thompson claimed Olympic glory in 1980 and 1984, broke the Decathlon world record four times and went unbeaten in competition for nine years.
While Thompson has helped Smith hone both his acceleration and top-line speed, he will have also passed on further wisdom in terms of just what it takes to succeed at the highest level, and repeatedly so across an entire generation.
Smith’s lightning line break should have conjured a fine try for England on Saturday, but Maro Itoje’s assisting pass for Joe Marchant strayed forward.
England’s scrappy and errant performance so nearly led to a maiden Samoa victory over the Red Rose men, only for Danny Care to nip home for the winning try.
Smith has impressed in an attacking job from full-back, an entirely new role for him that was first floated by defence coach Kevin Sinfield this summer.
The livewire pivot can act as an extra playmaker and from the wider channels, where he can now exploit space all the more thanks to that lightning acceleration.
Asked if his shift to full-back is improving him as a player generally, Smith replied: “Yeah I think 100 per cent, it has opened my eyes a little bit.
“I never thought I would be playing there to be honest. But when I got that opportunity a few weeks ago with Kev coming up to me and telling me about it, I was chomping at the bit to give it a go.
“It is slightly different, obviously, a lot more space in the wider channels. You don’t always get the ball but when we’ve got playmakers inside who are very skillful, are able to execute under severe amounts of pressure, it’s a joy to be a part of.
“Alongside that, with wingers that can finish anything, I’m thoroughly enjoying it and every time out on the field I try to cherish every moment.”
