‘Me and Danny are two thorns either side of two roses in Quins backline,’ says Jamie Roberts

By Neale Harvey
Old stager Jamie Roberts reckons playing alongside “bossy” young pretenders Marcus Smith and Joe Marchant has helped revitalise his career.
Experienced centre Roberts was floored by his omission from this summer’s Lions tour of New Zealand but has risen from the canvas to play a starring role for Quins, who last week showed their intent with an impressive away win at Wasps.
Smith and Marchant have earned plaudits and are both on England’s radar, while 93-cap Roberts is relishing his role in their development.
Roberts, 30, told The Rugby Paper: “We’ve got a nice balance in our backline and Danny Care and I are thorns between two roses in Marcus and Joe.
“I’ve enjoyed playing with Joe over the last two seasons; he’s very athletic, very keen to learn and he’ll break into the England side at some point, it’s just a question of when.
“Joe reminds me of Jonathan Joseph – a very similar player who’s got that in-to-out movement and a fantastic arc of pure-driven speed. He’s instinctive in the way he plays and is very tough to bring down, as Wasps discovered last weekend.
“As for Marcus, he’s a fly-half who likes to take on the line, plays what he sees and has a great skill-set. His kicking and passing is spot on and he’s a sponge when it comes to learning.”
Roberts says the pair are having a rejuvenating effect, adding: “Playing alongside these lads is reinvigorating me. It makes me feel 18 again and it’s a real privilege to play with lads who are a decade younger and tap into your knowledge.
“The pleasing thing about Joe and Marcus is they’re not afraid to boss us around – not disrespectful in any way – but they’ll really back themselves and once they’ve got clarity in their roles, they’re happy to tell the senior guys what to do and challenge them over how we’re playing.
“That’s hugely satisfying for an experience guy like me because you don’t see that too often in younger players. A lot of the time they’re quiet, but Joe and Marcus are not afraid to tell you what to do and they’re very studious about their rugby as well. To see that coming to fruition over the early weeks of the season has been a real pleasure.”

Roberts admits being omitted by Lions boss Warren Gatland was a “kick in the backside” but is satisfied he reacted correctly by accepting the chance to captain a youthful Wales side to hard-fought Test victories over Tonga and Samoa.
He said: “I’d have loved to have gone on a third Lions tour, but it wasn’t to be and I’ll back Gats’ judgement. Disappointing as it wa, I was delighted with the way the Lions lads performed.
“You can react to it in one of two ways. I shaped up pretty quickly and it was a huge honour to captain Wales in the summer.
“You come in with a bit of a point to prove and it acts as extra motivation. I missed out on the Lions and it’s a kick in the backside, so it’s like, ‘do you know what, I just want to prove a few people wrong here’.
“To come back from that Wales tour with two victories was brilliant because there were a lot of young lads who hadn’t played much senior rugby, let alone Tests. They bought into the environment and were very coachable.
“Guys like Seb Davies, Steff Evans and Ollie Griffiths have now had a taste of it and want more, so that will serve Wales well. Personally, I’m feeling refreshed and am probably the fittest I’ve been since before the 2015 World Cup.”
Roberts is now eyeing a Test ton, with performances for Harlequins being key.
He added: “There’s huge motivation this year to win something with Harlequins and hopefully that helps me to 100 caps with Wales. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t, but I’m desperate for it and working hard to give myself the best shot.”