Latest news with #MarcusSmith
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Telegraph
The teacher who inspired Marcus Smith to success
On a warm early summer day at the Stoop, home of Harlequins, Marcus Smith is sitting in the West Stand being interviewed about an initiative to encourage more teachers to consider rugby coaching. Behind him, and out of the England fly-half's vision, arrives Nick Buoy, Smith's director of rugby at Brighton College and a man who played a formative role in his development. A tap on the shoulder and Smith turns around. He gives a double take, goes slightly red and then bursts out laughing. The surprise is complete, the affection and warmth between the two immediately obvious and genuine. As a teacher, Buoy had a profound impact on Smith, starting from the moment the two met. 'He's had a massive influence on my life, and that is a testament to him as a bloke and to his values,' Smith explains. 'I was very lucky to have somebody like him – so joyful and passionate about sport. 'He has an aura about him. It made you feel really good if he celebrated something the team did or something I did. 'By the age 17 and 18, I felt able to ask him why we were doing certain things. I felt confident enough to challenge him, but he welcomed it, listened to me and we talked it through. That enabled me to build my leadership skills at an early age.' The relationship has continued to this day, and Smith still values Buoy's guidance and advice. 'He has been a wonderful sounding board to me,' Smith continues. 'I had a decent first year at Quins, but he was always telling me to work hard. I am lucky to play professionally now, but I am here because I enjoy it. My best mates are those I played with at school.' Smith appreciates the benefits he enjoyed of going to a leading public school such as Brighton College, but he understands that for the sport to grow, it needs to broaden its appeal outside of its traditional heartlands. That is why he is so passionate about the new Gallagher Touchline Academy initiative, which aims to provide teachers across the country with the confidence and skills they need to guide rugby sessions. Created in partnership with Gallagher Premiership Rugby Clubs and set to be rolled out in schools across the UK over the next three years, its goal is to empower teachers like Buoy who can inspire the next generation of players and fans. 'The sport has some amazing values which see you develop as a person, and those come from your school rugby experience,' Smith says. 'There is a big issue with rugby about spreading the game to a different audience – it needs us players to grow the game. Coaches and teachers have a massive role in this, and the Gallagher initiative is very important in this.' Buoy could not agree more. 'There are lots of variations of the game – touch, all surfaces, indoors, sometimes even without the ball – that help teachers new to the game put their toe in the water,' he says. 'When I was working at a state school, if we found a pupil who had a certain talent at any sport, we would contact the local club and take them there. My advice for a teacher would be to investigate the possibility; talk to somebody like me or the others who are involved. We will always help out.' Buoy is an ardent believer in sport's ability to shape young lives. 'I use sport to make people achieve their potential and be a good person. You can learn lessons on the sports field that can't be taught in the classroom. 'If a teacher loves what they do, that will come across really quickly. I'm probably obsessive about rugby but I think that's OK. If you can get students obsessive and passionate about something, you are winning. 'And if that is rugby I'm very happy because maybe they will keep on giving to the game at their clubs as players, secretaries, coaches, helpers, fans. If you can get people passionate about rugby then the sport will be in a really good place.' His pride in Smith and his achievements is obvious. 'I've got a huge amount of respect and love for Marcus. He is competitive and wants to be the best, but we are also very proud of the way he conducts himself off the pitch. He has all the time in the world for people, and that's special for us,' he continues. 'He first played in the first XV at scrum-half and I have very rarely seen one individual lift a team so much on his own. He took the entire team with him, he lifted the pace we played at, the intricacy, the speed, the tempo. 'There were a few times he told me I wasn't good enough as a coach! But he was right – he did it in a respectful manner, and it lifted me as a coach. 'We have always stayed in contact and to be honest it's when things aren't going so well that our players get back in touch. That's the time when they need somebody to listen or some objective advice. 'All the young kids want to be Marcus Smith; they want to play like him. If you fully gave him the reins it would be amazing. He sees things others don't. Everybody knows him as simply as Marcus, that's how big he is.' Gallagher is Right Here for Rugby and Right Here for Business – go to to see what Gallagher can do for you.
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
North Wilkesboro, after NASCAR All-Star Race success, has a good kind of problem
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — As NASCAR has expanded into new markets over the past few years, some of these additions have seen fan support taper off by the third year, the shiny new toys losing their luster. North Wilkesboro Speedway found itself in similar territory this weekend. The rustic short track, once left for dead only to be brought back to life, hosted NASCAR's non-points All-Star Race for a third consecutive year. Would fans continue to pack the place as they did when NASCAR first returned after a nearly 20-year absence and make it the exception to the rule? Advertisement This question was answered emphatically Sunday night, even before Christopher Bell outdueled Joey Logano in the closing laps to claim the $1 million winner's prize. The sold-out crowd was amped during pre-race ceremonies, singing along to various songs over the public address system and loudly cheering and booing during driver intros. Then came the race itself, which more than delivered. 'For the third straight year, we've had tremendous support from fans not only in North Carolina but around the world who are captivated by the return of North Wilkesboro Speedway to the NASCAR circuit,' said Speedway Motorsports president and CEO Marcus Smith, whose company owns the facility. 'Like Lambeau Field to football and Fenway Park to baseball, North Wilkesboro Speedway has become America's throwback racetrack.' If the idea is that the All-Star Race is supposed to be a special event that causes the crowd to be juiced to another level while also producing a stirring race, then Sunday night's 250-lapper certainly checked these boxes. North Wilkesboro proved to be a worthy ongoing host, erasing the skepticism a track often faces in its critical third year, which heavily factors into whether it sticks around on the Cup Series schedule. Going forward, the question surrounding North Wilkesboro isn't about whether it should remain as host for the All-Star Race, but whether it should host something bigger — a points race. 'I think it deserves it,' Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman said. 'I'm sure it has its challenges to pull it off, but it's a great racetrack. It's got a great vibe, and it's a special place.' Many others shared Bowman's sentiment throughout the weekend, and this was before the green flag even waved on the main event. Moving forward, expect this drumbeat to grow louder. Even the FS1 broadcast got in on it, with commentators Mike Joy, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer stumping for this to happen. "NORTH WILKESBORO – BEST SHORT TRACK ON THE SCHEDULE."- Christopher Bell after his All-Star win — FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 19, 2025 Bringing a points race to a new track is rarely straightforward. There is, however, a realistic path for North Wilkesboro. As NASCAR has worked to overhaul its calendar over the last five-plus years, decision-makers have learned that the sport is best with a schedule featuring greater variety in the tracks across the 38-race schedule (36 points races and two exhibitions). They've also become more amenable to making bold changes. Advertisement This mindset already worked in North Wilkesboro's favor in 2023, when the track landed the All-Star Race, something few thought possible. Similar thinking would need to happen this go-round too. With the Cup schedule already at capacity, adding a new track somewhere requires a spot to be cleared. And this is where it gets complicated. NASCAR isn't likely to shift a date from one of the tracks it owns to an outside company, not when each date is worth millions and millions in television dollars and they're exploring other markets. This means, in all likelihood, Speedway Motorsports would need to shift one of the 15 dates it has within its portfolio. These 15 races are held at one of 10 tracks the company owns outright and another at a venue it rents, Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. A frequent suggestion is to shift the spring race at nearby Bristol Motor Speedway to North Wilkesboro. Attendance has been so-so at the Tennessee short track, and recent racing has left something to be desired. But, again, there are complications. Although Bristol's spring race may appear to have sparse crowds, this is somewhat deceiving. The venue can accommodate 140,000-plus spectators, so a race at Bristol that is only one-third full will still outdraw a sellout at North Wilkesboro, where the max capacity is somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000. (Speedway Motorsports is a privately owned company and doesn't release its exact attendance figures.) There are other factors in play too. NASCAR already has several races in the Mid-Atlantic region, with eight tracks (Atlanta, Bowman Gray, Bristol, Charlotte, Darlington, Martinsville, North Wilkesboro and Richmond) hosting a combined 13 races. Bristol also has strong corporate support in the form of Food City, which since 1992 has served as entitlement sponsor for the spring race — the second-longest active race sponsorship. COTA is widely considered the likeliest candidate to move, since its contract with Speedway Motorsports is up for renewal, but this confined geographical setup makes moving a race from Texas to North Wilkesboro a head-scratcher. Advertisement 'Whatever Marcus wants, it's his place,' Trackhouse driver Ross Chastain said. 'So if he wants to go to NASCAR and pitch something; I'm sure there's a lot more than just saying, What do we want?' It's up to the track owners and promoters and our sanctioning body, so for me to even begin to comment, I'm like, 'Whatever they want to do.' But that was a great race. We definitely better keep coming back here.' It's a good problem to have for North Wilkesboro. Definitely better than what would've likely come if Sunday's race failed to produce strong ticket sales and a solid race. Instead, the fans showed out, the racing delivered, and North Wilkesboro's spot on the Cup schedule — one way or another — is very much secure. (Top photo of Sunday's NASCAR All-Star Race: David Jensen / Getty Images)
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Baxter impressed by Exeter's 'fight and character'
Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter says he was impressed by the "fight and character" his side showed in their 24-22 loss at Chiefs came back from conceding inside the first three minutes to twice take the lead in the second half before eventually being edged was a marked improvement for the struggling side, who have won just four games all season and are guaranteed to finish a club-low ninth place in the Premiership."We've earned the right to be disappointed," said Baxter, who saw a late Marcus Smith penalty earn victory for hosts Quins."It's one of those games where one decision one way, or one decision the other way, and that game is in the balance."We showed so much fight and character and 'sticking in there', that to me is a huge bonus and a huge plus point."Exeter had new backs and attack coach Dave Walder in attendance for the first time after he was formally appointed on display provided evidence of some shoots of recovery after a difficult season reached its nadir last month with a club-record 79-17 loss at Gloucester that cost head coach Rob Hunter and attack coach Ali Hepher their jobs. "I never thought we were just going to buckle today, I genuinely didn't," Baxter told BBC Radio Devon."It kind of shows, if you prepare not to buckle, you talk about not buckling, you're really honest with each other and you stand up for each other, you can stay in things, even when at one stage it was nearly 85% possession and territory to Quins early in the game."But we stuck at it, we scored some tries. I'm a little frustrated we didn't do a little bit more in the second half."I think we lost our shape at times in the second half and we ended up just doing things that didn't look like they had any shape or direction, that's something we have to stamp out."
Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Danny Care bows out as winner in final game at Twickenham Stoop
Marcus Smith conjured a moment of individual magic to beat Exeter Chiefs and ensure Danny Care's final game at the Twickenham Stoop ended in a celebration. The England playmaker, delaying his arrival at the British & Irish Lions' first meet-up to turn out alongside his mate at home one last time, feared the worst when Exeter led heading into the final quarter. One sublime passage of play from a player whose faltering season has been re-energised by his Lions selection changed all that: 30 metres out, and with no space to work in, he somehow weaved his way through a posse of defenders to score. It was a moment worthy of winning any game and for it to have been one which meant so much
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Danny Care's final appearance at The Stoop ends with Harlequins victory
Harlequins marked Danny Care 's final appearance at The Stoop with a hard-fought 24-22 victory over struggling Exeter. Earlier in the week, the 38 year old scrum-half announced his retirement after a record 395 appearances for the club to add to his 101 England caps and he came off the bench in the 64th minute to see his side regain the lead and ensure a fairytale ending. Cadan Murley, Will Porter and Marcus Smith scored Harlequins' tries with Smith converting all three and adding a penalty. Tommy Wyatt, Rus Tuima and Stu Townsend scored Exeter's tries with Henry Slade adding two conversions and a penalty. It took Quins less than three minutes to open the scoring when a pre-planned three-quarter move was perfectly executed to present Murley with a 25-metre run to the line. Exeter soon suffered two further setbacks when first centre Tamati Tua was yellow-carded for a high challenge on home skipper Alex Dombrant before Porter capitalised by forcing his way over from close-range. The first quarter ended without a single attack from Chiefs but with their first they made it count when Josh Hodge made a clean break to set up the opportunity for Tuima. Tua returned from the sin-bin and in time to see his side score a second try through Wyatt but Slade missed the conversion to leave Exeter trailing 14-12 at the interval. Three minutes after the restart, Exeter took the lead for the first time when Townsend crossed the line to reward strong runs from Tuima and Wyatt and that was the only score of the third quarter. It was one-way traffic during that period as Harlequins penned their opponents in their half but a lack of passing accuracy and spirited defence from Chiefs prevented the home side from benefitting. However, from nowhere Smith produced a moment of magic by wriggling past two defenders for an excellent solo try but Slade responded with a 30-metre penalty. That made the score 22-21 in Exeter's favour whereupon Care was immediately introduced and six minutes later, Smith knocked over a simple penalty to set up a tense finish. With two minutes remaining, Wyatt was yellow-carded for a deliberate offside but Quins were unable to secure a fourth try, which would have kept alive their slim hopes of a play-off spot. Exeter fought to the very end and were unlucky losers but ultimately the day belonged to Care. PA
