Filipino-born England Rugby star Marcus Smith’s rise to the top is inspiring the next generation in the Philippines to follow in his footsteps. In the nation he, his brothers and his mother were born in, Smith wants to continue inspiring and educating Filipinos.
His mother, Suzanne Smith, said in a previous interview that
“one of his high goals in his head that he wants to fulfill is to educate a lot of Filipinos to know more about rugby”
To achieve this goal, Marcus recently expressed his desire to play for the Philippines with his brother, Luc. Whether the move occurs soon or at the end of his career, his influence could be the key to growing rugby in the Philippines.
However, the growth of rugby in the Philippines has issues that not even Marcus Smith can solve.
Luc Smith, Marcus’s younger brother, has represented the Philippines in several rugby tournaments across Asia. Like his brother, he inspires more and more Filipinos to play rugby. However, despite rugby’s rise in the Philippines, he recognises the biggest problems its continued growth faces is funding and popularity.
“It’s on the rise I’d say, but there’s a lot of room to improve I’d say mainly on the financial side of things”
Money often talks when it comes to performance and exposure in the sport world, and rugby is no different.
Boxing, volleyball and especially basketball are highly popular in the Philippines. According to the NBA, the Philippines drew the third largest average audience globally for live NBA games in 2023.
Imported from the United States during their 47-year occupation, these sports have had the time and money to become powerhouses in the Philippines.
“They tend to get the most backing with regards to sponsors and coverage”
With established sports to compete with, exposure and therefore funding is hard to acquire. None know these struggles more than President of the Philippine Rugby Football Union, Ada Milby.
“Those sports seem to really be accelerated in terms of focus and development, and prestige and profile whereas rugby has had a much longer, slower journey”
Born in the U.S., Milby has overseen the growth of rugby in the Philippines since becoming the union’s president in 2020.
Since taking charge, she has seen rugby’s surge in popularity firsthand in the Philippines. However, she’s also seen the many sustainability issues the union suffers from as well as the unfortunate cycle it finds itself in.
“We need performance to be able to get funding. We need funding to get the performance”
At the heart of that performance is Luc Smith, who believes the Philippine Volcanoes, the Philippine national team, are in a good position to progress up the Asian divisions. However, he shares the same frustrations with the funding cycle.
“We’re expected to perform to attract sponsors, but how can we perform and compete against teams that have a lot of funding and go on training camp for months when we only have the funding to train for a week and a half before a tournament?”
With performance and exposure in high demand but in short supply, rugby’s growth in the Philippines faces being stuck in an endless cycle.
However, Marcus Smith’s fast growing celebrity status in the Philippines could be the key to the puzzle of ending this cycle. Ada Milby recognises the impact Filipino celebrities can have in boosting the profile of a sport in the eyes of Filipinos.
“We’ve had some pretty successful campaigns with individuals and personalities who’ve come through. None with the profile that Marcus has had. I think that if Marcus were based here in the Philippines, that could probably be a very different impact than him coming in from time to time”
If Marcus were to make that move to the Philippines, he can not only boost rugby’s exposure but also boost the national team’s performance. Even if his move was after the peak of his career, Milby believes he could still help lift the Volcanoes.
“Marcus on his own wouldn’t be able to win us games, right? But it’s being around somebody who has such a strong knowledge of the game to help lift you to play better”
In a previous interview, Luc said he believes his brother won’t be thinking about a move to the Philippines for a long time yet.
“Maybe at the back end of his career, maybe he decides, but that’s hopefully a long way yet”
Whether it’s a question of if or when for Marcus to make his move back to the land where he was born, his influence on the country and the inspiration he brings is unquestionable.
Last year, Marcus and his family travelled to Manila to teach local children to play rugby and already it has had an impact. Luc believes he is quickly becoming a role model the future of the Philippines can look up and aspire to.
“What my brother has done so far in the early part of his career has I think brought eyes to the sport, and it’s given the young players of the Philippines something to look up to”
Marcus continues to impress as a fly-half for the Harlequins and England. His success on the pitch despite his physical attributes is an inspiration to Filipinos, Ada Milby says.
“I mean he’s not your typical build rugby player, right? I think that’s quite an inspiration to Filipinos to say actually you don’t have to be the biggest player out on the field to be able to be skilful or agile to make an impact”
The man from Manila will no doubt continue to inspire his compatriots throughout his playing career whether he makes the switch or not. Whether rugby in the Philippines can continue to grow without his direct influence though is a question Luc Smith and Ada Milby bear the responsibility to answer.