Fijian Rugby legends Serevi and Ryder inspired British fly-half Superstar Marcus Smith in the way he plays rugby with such flair and beauty. The Marcus Smith sidestep has become a common sight on rugby pitches in recent years.

Whether in the colours of Gallagher Premiership champions Harlequins, on the Twickenham turf for England or touring with the British & Irish Lions, the fly-half is capable of manipulating defences and creating scoring opportunities with his stepping skills.

Smith is known for his willingness to attack but how did he develop the skill-set to put his ideas in motion? The 22-year-old puts it down to attending the Hong Kong Sevens when he was younger.

The Smith family – dad Jeremy, mum Suzanne and sons Marcus, Luc and Tomas – attended the premier event on the sevens calendar half-a-dozen times while living in Asia, and Marcus was inspired by the feats he saw on the pitch.

He’d watch Fijian greats like Waisale Serevi and William Ryder create excitement for the fans with their sidesteps and offloads, then he would soon be trying to replicate those skills himself and aiming to outfox his younger brothers.

 

Smith share his experiences,

“At the Hong Kong Sevens, I used to watch the likes of William Ryder and Waisale Serevi and these sorts of players, who used to make the crowd get off their seats and bamboozle defenders,” .

“That inspired me to try to learn that. I’m still trying to get there but it’s exciting. I want to entertain and I want to get the crowd off their seats.”

He has certainly been doing that for Quins and England in recent months, helping both club and country to important victories.

{Source: Rugby World -A snippet from his interview }