- England star Smith has revealed his new training techniques ahead of the clash.
- He has rediscovered his form off the kicking tee for Harlequins this season.
England flyhalf Marcus Smith revealed he has used military-style techniques to help perfect his kicking ahead of next week’s test against the All Blacks.
Smith missed three shots during the summer defeat in Dunedin, where England lost to New Zealand by one point.
He has rediscovered his form off the kicking tee for Harlequins this season and is tipped to retain the number 10 shirt for the series opener at Twickenham.
“I don’t think I kicked that well towards the end of last season, I felt like I was a little rushed, a little tight on the ball,” Smith said.
“That game in Dunedin was quite tough for me personally. Going into that week, I was probably overthinking it. At that specific moment, when the boys needed me most, I was not there.
England’s Marcus Smith revealed he has used military-style techniques to help perfect his kicks.
Smith missed three shots during the summer, where England lost to New Zealand by one point.
“I’ve done a lot of breathing work at the end of my run, especially if I’m in a longer stretch of play, trying to regulate my emotions and my breathing so I can stay calm in that moment. I just take a deep breath, breathe it in at the end, and then I exhale as slowly as I can. It’s like a military technique that allows me to calm down.’
Smith changed boots and put in a flawless performance with his kicking in the final test against the All Blacks in Auckland.
Since then she has been working with her new Quins teammate Leigh Halfpenny and World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson to perfect her technique.
“At the start of this season I felt like I had been kicking well and a lot of that is down to Leigh,” Smith added.
‘He is a metronome from the tee, very meticulous with his preparation. I enjoy kicking with him every day, as well as Jonny, who I also see. I’m in a good place mentally in terms of my kicks.
‘As a kicker, you will always have those days, but in terms of confidence in your process and conviction to want to tee again and try again. I think I did it in the summer.
