When Marcus Smith makes his much-anticipated Test debut for England, his own personal cheer squad will extend far beyond those present at Twickenham. Halfway around the world, and across Asia, in fact.
The Harlequins fly-half may only be 22, but he has long been regarded as one of the most precocious talents in the English game.
As far back as 2015 and having only just started his A-levels, he had caught the eye of Eddie Jones, who is now the England coach. At that point, Jones was in charge of a Japan side who were training at Smith’s school while preparing for the World Cup.
His ascent to full-England duty has felt like a sure thing ever since — but his rise until that point had been anything but, having started far beyond the sport’s mainstream.
Born in Manila to a Filipina mother and English father, Smith’s first taste of rugby came as a six-year-old in a side set up by a set of expat dads.
One of those dads, Trevor Stott-Briggs, now lives in Abu Dhabi and has been a long-term resident of the UAE.
He recalls setting up the rugby programme which set Smith on the way in rugby — and via which the game in the Philippines is now thriving.
“At the end of 2004 Marcus’s dad [Jeremy] and I were players for Nomads [a rugby club in Manila which is Philippines’ second oldest sports club,” Stott-Briggs said.
“We realised there were lots of kids of other expat dads like ourselves, married to Filipinas, who had kids ranging from four- to 10-years-old.
“They all said, ‘Look, why don’t we do something for the kids on a Saturday afternoon, before the grown-ups play?’
“We set up what we grandiosely called the Nomads Junior Academy. We also roped in all the kids of the bar staff, the groundsmen, and anyone else who worked at the club.
“We started to teach them how to play, because we wanted enough players to have a game.
“At the beginning, it was like herding stray cats. All the kids would run towards the ball, and it was fun trying to teach them to stay in a line. Eventually, it started to come together.”
He was six, not the oldest there, but if you gave him the ball he would run and weave, and was guaranteed to score
Trevor Stott-Briggs
Philippines may now be among the leading sides in Asia, and sit as high as 41 in the World Rugby rankings.
Stott-Briggs, though, admits the expat dads were unsure as to how the indigenous players would take to their attempts to introduce the game to them back then.
“All of us were expats, and we all thought Filipinos would not make good rugby players, because they are too small,” he said. “We were completely wrong about that, I’m happy to say in retrospect.
“What Filipinos generally do have is ball skills, because basketball is the national sport. They were good at dodging and weaving, and had good hand-eye coordination.
“If you throw a ball to a Filipino, it doesn’t matter how old they are, they will catch it.”
The first intake of players proved to be a remarkable crop. Five of the first 12 players have since gone on to representative honours with the Philippines, while Smith is now set for England.
“Jeremy [Smith’s dad] was a very good rugby player in his own right, and immediately Marcus stood out from this whole group,” Stott-Briggs said.
“He was six, not the oldest there, but if you gave him the ball he would run and weave, and was guaranteed to score.
“He could dodge around the coaches. We had first-team players who would come along and help, and stand in the defensive line. But he could sidestep everybody, aged six. He obviously had talent.”
Even England coach Jones gave his endorsement to that.
“I remember watching him in 2015 at Brighton College and when there was something on, he took it and maybe for a period of time he was more likely to be a pattern player,” Jones told the English media earlier this summer.
“And I think he is getting a nice balance in his game between understanding the responsibilities of getting the team organised, but then playing what is in front of him. I think his development is really positive.”
Stott-Briggs has followed Smith’s development from distance since moving to the UAE, but the respective families remain close. He is delighted with the progress Smith has made.
“From a little rugby club in South-east Asia, Marcus has got there, and quite right been recognised as an extraordinary talent,” Stott-Briggs said. “His dad used to take him up to Harlequins in London, up from Brighton.
“At that point we would start getting videos through, and it was clear he was even outstanding among a group of outstanding players.
“He is such a nice kid. He is not big headed. Just super talented.”
Brief scoreline
Switzerland 0
England 0
Result: England win 6-5 on penalties
Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Kalra's feat
- Becomes fifth batsman to score century in U19 final
- Becomes second Indian to score century in U19 final after Unmukt Chand in 2012
- Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
- Bought by Delhi Daredevils for base price of two million Indian rupees (Dh115,000) in 2018 IPL auction
Company%20profile
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Opening weekend Premier League fixtures
Weekend of August 10-13
Arsenal v Manchester City
Bournemouth v Cardiff City
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Huddersfield Town v Chelsea
Liverpool v West Ham United
Manchester United v Leicester City
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
Southampton v Burnley
Watford v Brighton & Hove Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Januzaj's club record
Manchester United 50 appearances, 5 goals
Borussia Dortmund (loan) 6 appearances, 0 goals
Sunderland (loan) 25 appearances, 0 goals
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
Huroob Ezterari
Director: Ahmed Moussa
Starring: Ahmed El Sakka, Amir Karara, Ghada Adel and Moustafa Mohammed
Three stars
