Harlequins fly-half Marcus Smith believes his side are “in a good spot” after a 14-12 win over Exeter Chiefs at the Twickenham Stoop reduced the gap between them and second-placed Saracens to one point.
In a repeat of last season’s Gallagher Premiership final, Quins were left in a tough position, trailing 12-7 with just minutes on the clock and heavy rain preventing them from playing their usual game to the same effect.
But Smith was able to pick out a pinpoint kick to find the onrushing Andre Esterhuizen who dived into the corner, before Smith himself added the all-important conversion from the touchline to strengthen Quins’ place in the play-off places.
The England international said: “It was a special game again, every time I personally get the opportunity to play at the Stoop in front of a full sell-out crowd is special and to do it today for Will Collier, who’s achieved a massive milestone, 200 games for this brilliant club, it was special, he was brilliant as well as the forwards. “
“We’re in a good spot, we know we’ve got a lot more in us both as individuals and as a team, so we’re not fully satisfied.
“However, to be where we are at the halfway spot and to close the book on the Premiership for a couple of weeks is a nice position to be in, but we’ll throw everything into Europe now and hopefully get out of the group.”
Smith has been an essential part of the Harlequins revival, as they went from strugglers to champions in a matter of months and look like title contenders once again this season.
One of the reasons for his and Quins meteoric rise, has been the fearless nature of his game, which is encouraged by the coaching team – including Nick Evans.
Smith said: “It’s one of those things, over the last couple of years we’ve tried to go back to our DNA, when guys like DC (Danny Care), Nick Evans, (Joe) Marler, Brownie (Mike Brown) all started at this club, throwing the ball around and playing with a smile on their face.
“If it’s on, the message from the coaches has always been to go for it and I felt towards the end we were decisive in every moment and we enjoyed the last ten minutes, even though everyone says there was a lot of pressure on it.”
Another thing that has become apparent with Quins in recent weeks has been the fact that they are really enjoying their rugby.
Smith believes the stoop to be the perfect setting when that is the case.
He continued: “If you’re enjoying the moment there aren’t many places you want to be than the stoop, so it was special today, and to come out on the right side of a tough game again is amazing.”
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