Suzanne Smith: The Woman Who Raised England Rugby’s Marcus Smith

Marcus Smith, born in Manila, lends his impressive talent as a fly-half for England internationally and the Harlequins domestically. His love for rugby was inspired by his father Jeremy Smith, but his love for the country of his birth and the special bond he shares with his brothers was undoubtedly inspired by his mother, Suzanne Smith.

Suzanne Villalba Smith was born and raised in Mindanao, the southern most island in the Philippines, where she attended high school in Cagayan de Oro. She then attended the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, which is the 4th best university in the Philippines. After graduating, she then became a stewardess for Cathay Pacific in 1990 where she would experience the Western world for the first time. “It was an amazement because I watched Europe, America or like the Western world on TV.”

She was most impressed with the availability of facilities in the West because “in the Philippines, there’s no parks where we could play, where families could have picnics”. She was so impressed that she has “no inkling of going back”. “I just don’t like the politics there. With me, I just like the Western world.”

However, despite her reluctance to return to the Philippines, she lived well in Manila with the benefits afforded to her by her marriage to Englishman Jeremy who she met in Hong Kong. “In the Philippines, if you have expat benefits, you will get the best of Philippines”. It allowed her to raise her three sons in comfort in the Philippine capital. “We had three helpers there. One driver. Not because we were rich, but because it’s the norm there. Our maids had maids”.

Despite the good education and comfort they enjoyed in Manila, the time eventually came for them to move away from the Philippines. “We had good education them, but it was time for my husband to be based in Singapore. So, we grabbed the chance”. It was in Singapore where Marcus and his brothers became “immersed into a lot of cultures. Even wider culture than being in the United Kingdom”. So, when they arrived in the UK, Suzanne didn’t think “they were feeling the transition. I don’t think they felt the difference. Only the weather probably”.

In the UK, Marcus fully developed his love for rugby inspired by his father Jeremy’s passion for it. However, Marcus also enjoyed playing football and “he was excelling at football as well” according to this mother. Although she says, “it was veered to rugby here in England, because daddy was really into rugby and his school didn’t want him to play football in school.” So, Marcus continued playing football outside of school until he eventually had the chance at a trial for Tottenham Hotspur. However, after making it down to the final eight out of hundreds, he didn’t make the final cut. “He was devastated, and he didn’t anymore like to play competitive football. So, he was strongly veered to rugby at that point”.

With Marcus fully focused on rugby, it didn’t take long for him to make an impact in the sport. “I think he was still 13 and he was already scouted by Sussex County, and then the Harlequins.” It didn’t take long after that for him to make his mark on the international stage with his father’s home nation. “At the age of 16, he was already in the England pack”. The day Marcus made his England debut still doesn’t feel real to both his parents. “It’s still a pinching feeling. It’s still surreal for us. Daddy still cries every game”.

However, Marcus’s rise to the top hasn’t been without its challenges with racist remarks being made by his teammates… “He’s been called chinks I think for a long time” … as well as the media. “I think a Welsh publisher wrote something about Marcus being an ‘oompa loompa’, and he was sacked because he wrote that”. However, Suzanne says “he wasn’t bothered at all” as “he was just smiling when he tells us that they call me chink”. Undeterred by racist remarks, Marcus has remained proud of his Filipino heritage and is committed to inspiring the next generation.

“There are a lot of inspired children there as well who look up to him and watches him in the Philippines”. After recently travelling to the poor region of Payatas in Manila, Marcus and his brothers aim to teach the children of the Philippines to play rugby. “One of his high goals in his head that he wants to fulfil is to educate a lot of Filipinos to know more about rugby”. One of the ways he could go about achieving this goal is playing for the Philippines National Rugby Union Team in the future.

Suzanne says, “he would love to see himself play for the Philippines in time when he’s not anymore in the England pack”. Marcus recently stated in an interview that he wants to play for the Philippines with his brothers one day. His mother says, “we will be very proud if they will play for Philippines” but believes that the “Philippines is not his next stop”. For now, Suzanne believes he will “make the most of where rugby is played highly” but will only decide on his future in England “when he’s already probably in his 30s”.

Until then, Suzanne says she “can only just pray hard for him to achieve what he dreams for and what he dreams of”. It’s been an incredible journey for both Marcus and his family, and there’s still time for it to get better. His mother, the rugby world and the Philippines will be watching him and inspiring his future success for surely years to come. “You never know what’s next for him or what’s tomorrow for him”, she concluded.