Marcus Smith warns Premiership must change to avoid player exodus

Marcus Smith has revealed his ambition to play abroad in the future but has outlined ways to make the Premiership a more attractive place for England stars amid fears the Harlequins fly-half could join the growing player exodus next year.

Smith, whose contract is up in 2024, is the subject of interest from clubs abroad who have greater spending power than their English counterparts while the Premiership salary cap is trimmed to £5m. The 24-year-old believes enabling Premiership clubs to compete with their European rivals would help stem the flow of England players heading overseas, with Jack Nowell, Sam Simmonds, Luke Cowan-Dickie, David Ribbans and Joe Marchant moving to France after the World Cup and thereby making themselves unavailable for Test selection. He also pinpointed overlaps between club and country fixtures as an issue to be addressed.

When Smith’s contract is up for renewal, the Premiership’s salary cap is due to revert to £6.4m, and, factoring in additional allowances and credits, it is understood clubs will be able spend around £8.3m, a budget far closer to their French counterparts. Nonetheless, the current player drain is evident and is likely to affect Steve Borthwick’s selection after the World Cup.

“I’m still early in my career. I want to experience different cultures, I want to play in different leagues,” said Smith. “But I’ll do that when the time’s right, for me, for my family, for my girlfriend and in my development as a rugby player and as a person as well.

“If you look across to the Top 14 [in France], you see the dominance they have in Europe. For me that’s mainly down to the salary cap. If they’ve got more resources and finances to build their squads then they’re probably going to be in a