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Marcus Smith has been completing sprint sessions with British Olympic great Daley Thompson in his effort to become one of the sport\u2019s finest playmakers.<\/p>\n
Smith has developed into England\u2019s fastest player over short distances due to his searing acceleration, which has been on full display since his shift from fly-half to full-back at the World Cup.<\/p>\n
The electric 24-year-old has made a series of influential cameos off the bench and also shone in his only start in the full-back position against Chile, producing a superb solo score as part of a two-try haul.<\/p>\n
Smith reveals his pace is the result of sessions with Thompson, the two-time Olympic decathlon gold medallist, as he looks to emulate two famed New Zealand ringmasters.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the last five or six years I\u2019ve been working hard on my speed,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGuys like Richie Mo\u2019unga and Beauden Barrett have the ability to score not just 10-metre tries but from 50 or 60 metres out. That\u2019s something that I\u2019ve wanted to add to my game.<\/p>\n
\u201cCredit goes to people who I\u2019ve worked with down in Brighton and Daley Thompson and the guys that I work with in America.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey put a lot of effort into me and I\u2019ve loved every minute training with those guys. It\u2019s been a joy and it has definitely opened my eyes to sprinting and speed work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starting Smith at full-back in Sunday\u2019s quarter-final against Fiji is one possible change as England coach Steve Borthwick considers his response to a disappointing climax to Pool D against Samoa.<\/p>\n
England scraped past the inspired Islanders 18-17 but it was a backwards step in the wake of three comprehensive victories.<\/p>\n
Borthwick has more pressing concerns than whether to swap Freddie Steward for Smith in the number 15 jersey, however, after his creative axis of George Ford and Owen Farrell fired blanks within a poor team performance.<\/p>\n
Guys like Richie Mo\u2019unga and Beauden Barrett have the ability to score not just 10-metre tries but from 50 or 60 metres out. That’s something that I’ve wanted to add to my game<\/p>\n
Ford is England\u2019s form fly-half, producing man of the match displays against Argentina and Japan, but the less impressive Farrell is the squad\u2019s captain.<\/p>\n
If the experiment of reuniting the duo is to be abandoned, then one of them must be dropped to accommodate the other as chief conductor.<\/p>\n
While deficiencies abounded against Samoa, in England\u2019s favour for this weekend\u2019s Marseille showdown is that Fiji have got progressively worse through the group stage, culminating in their shock defeat by Portugal on Sunday night.<\/p>\n
But Fiji\u2019s first-ever victory over the red rose at Twickenham in August remains fresh in English minds.<\/p>\n
\u201cFiji were very impressive in the summer and we learnt a lot from that experience. Watching them over the last few weeks I have learnt a lot as well,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have got dangerous runners, they have got power across the field, but so do we.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to prepare as well as we can to negate their threats and put our strengths on the park.\u201d<\/p>\n