Marcus Smith Set for 200th Harlequins Game Against Saracens
Marcus Smith is set to make his 200th appearance for Harlequins this Sunday, when they host London rivals Saracens at The Stoop. The fly-half, the player who directs the attack and does much of the kicking, has been at the club since making his debut in September 2017, aged 18.
In that time he has scored 1,809 points, including 49 tries, according to the BBC. He has also won 56 England caps and has been named in two British and Irish Lions squads, the combined side that tours every few years from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. His drop goal, a kick scored from open play, sealed England's win over France at Twickenham in a Six Nations finale, as Premiership Rugby recorded it.
Smith missed the start of the 2026-27 season with a finger injury. He returned to score twice in a 28-24 defeat by Sale Sharks, and he is expected to be back in the number 10 shirt on Sunday.
Harlequins have had a tougher autumn. They finished ninth in the Premiership last season, their lowest finish in eight years. The Premiership is England's top club league, and teams are ranked in a table by the points they win. After three defeats this season, Harlequins sit at the bottom.
There is some good news on the team sheet. Fin Baxter, England's loosehead prop (the forward who packs on the left side of the front row in the scrum), is set to return after a 10-month lay-off. He has had two operations on a foot injury and has not played since the Champions Cup win over Bayonne in December. Samoa's tighthead prop, Titi Lamositele, remains sidelined.
The fixture has form. Last October, Harlequins beat Saracens 20-14 at home, and Smith scored 15 of their points, as The Guardian reported. Harlequins have also won their last eleven home Premiership games, a run that Premiership Rugby noted before this derby.
For a club that has been slipping down the table, a home derby with a milestone attached gives Sunday a clear shape. Whether Baxter's return and Smith's form are enough to turn the season around is a question for the next few weeks, not one this weekend can settle.
