Marcus Smith
Marcus Smith made his senior debut for Harlequins in the 2017/18 season at just 18 years old. He has had impressive seasons with Harlequins, including leading them to the Premiersh...
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How old were you when you made your pro debut?
I made my professional debut for Harlequins aged 18 across the road at Twickenham. To pull on that Quinn shirt for the first time at such a young age was a special day for me and my family and friends. And today, I'll never forget, even though the result didn't go away, to be able to pull on my shirt for the first time at Twickenham in front of 50, 60,000 was a memorable day, and it's a day I'll never forget.
How did you feel on your debut?
Running out in front of a big crowd. I was slightly anxious, to be honest, especially in the build up to the week. The coach at the time, John Kingston told me on the Monday that I'll be starting, which is again, good preparation from him. He allowed me to focus on my mindset, allowed me to build through the week, and gave me the confidence every single day to go out there and deliver performance. So I'm grateful for him telling me so early, and then through the week, I just rely on my preparation. So I try and replicate every single sort of scenario I can through the week, so that come the week weekend, I'm ready to express myself, ready to show the best of myself, and most importantly, enjoy the occasion because not often you get to run out of Twickenham. So every time you do, you got to make it count.
Do you ever get nervous before a game?
I do get nervous before games. I used to be worse when I was younger. I used to get anxious, especially Friday night. But the minute that the game day comes on a Saturday, I'm super excited. I'm super buzzing I and energised because the way I see it is Saturday is game time. It's showtime. So I try and enjoy it as much as I can. Obviously, there are nerves inside, but I look back at my preparation. I know I've done everything in my power to prepare myself for this moment. So on the weekend, as I said, I try and enjoy it.