“I think this kid is world class at 10 and 15.”

Former England scrum-half Danny Care believes his Harlequins halfback partner Marcus Smith is world-class at both fly-half and full-back.

Although primarily a number 10, the 25-year-old was deployed in the backfield by England head coach Steve Borthwick during last year’s World Cup, an idea Quins has since adopted, albeit sparingly.

A series of injuries to Quins’ back three saw Smith given a runout in the No. 15 jersey against champions Northampton Saints in the third round this month, scoring two tries, before returning to his normal role in the win against Saracens .

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Despite initially being Borthwick’s idea, Smith is unlikely to play anywhere other than fly-half for England in the autumn, where they will face the All Blacks, Australia, South Africa and Japan. Not only has George Furbank firmly established himself as England’s incumbent full-back in 2024, but George Ford’s quad injury also means there are more pressing concerns at fly-half.

But Care, who made his 101st and final appearance for England alongside Smith in this year’s Six Nations, believes his clubmate is equally adept in both roles.

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Smith was a guest of Care and Mark Atkinson Hits different podcast recently, where the scrum-half praised his versatility, adding that he would like to see him play outside center at some point in his career. However, he pointed out that he believes Smith’s best position remains at fly-half.

“I think this kid is world class at 10 and 15,” Care said.

“I think he can play as a full-back, he can play against number 12. I would like to see him in a number 13 shirt. I’ve told him this before.

“I want to see him with the ball in his hand as much as possible, that’s why I prefer to see him in a number 10 shirt, because you want to get your best player on the ball as often as possible. Unfortunately, he suffers from his own success: he is too good at rugby, so when he plays fullback he still plays brilliantly.

“What I like about him is the versatility, but I think he is a number 10.”