Marlan Yarde has re-written wingers’ handbook
Yarde made an explosive Test debut against Argentina last weekend, running in two tries and causing havoc coming in off his left wing in the 51-26 victory.
Last season, despite the Exiles’ struggles, Smith frequently tipped Yarde, 21, for England, insisting he mixes raw pace and power with a willingness to put his head where it hurts – a veiled criticism of Chris Ashton.
Smith, who worked with Ashton as England’s attack coach under Martin Johnson, admits that when the cross-code convert burst onto the scene, his tendency to come inside revolutionised the role of a winger.
But Ashton’s form has nosedived – two tries in his last 17 Tests – and he did not travel to Argentina while England deployed full-back Mike Brown on the left during the Six Nations.
And Smith believes that the Ashton model is past its sell-by date, claiming Yarde is the perfect prototype for the modern winger.
He said: “When Ashton came along, he changed how wingers play, he changed the dynamic, coming off their wing and running those dangerous lines.
“Marland has that in his game, you can see he has learned that but he has a huge amount to his game. He has a fantastic kick and chase. You look at someone like Bryan Habana, the best in the world at that, and Marland has that in his locker as well.
“Then you have Sailosi Tagicakibau, one of the league’s best and most consistent wingers over the past few seasons, and Marland has learned a lot from him.
“There aren’t many better than Marland. He has pace and power but also gets his head over the ball and his defence is fantastic, he’s the complete package.
“But the biggest thing about Marland is his willingness to learn, his drive to always get better. That’s something you can’t teach so that’s his biggest attribute.
“It was fantastic to see him playing for England because he’s had a good season, and a very good second half to the season and you know success won’t go to his head.
“He’s very grounded and works extremely hard and there isn’t really anyone better in the league.”
With Brown restored to full-back in Argentina and Ashton recharging the batteries before going head-to-head with Christian Wade on the right slot, Yarde will take some shifting from the left.
Unlike teammates Jonathan Joseph, Matt Garvey, Anthony Watson and Alex Corbisiero, Yarde is staying at London Irish.
Despite the departures, the Exiles’ backline still boasts Tom Homer, Topsy Ojo, Tagicakibau and Guy Armitage as well as Shane Geraghty and Ian Humphreys.
Smith believes Yarde is perfectly placed to remain the next England back off the Irish conveyor belt, following Joseph and Delon Armitage.
He said: “The thing that helped Marland was the players inside him last season. We have some excellent playmakers and we’re always looking to get the ball wide.
“Of course we’re very pleased that Marland is staying, he’s crucial to what we what to achieve, along with a number of other very good young players. This club has a history of producing exciting young players for England and we believe Marland is the next one.
“We had a difficult start last season which is frustrating because we showed what we can do in the second half.
“We’re already training, getting ready because it can’t happen again. We need to build momentum and make sure that we hit the ground running.”
GERARD MEAGHER
