Where did all of rugby’s fans go?

Could rugby union get any better? The entertainment in the Premiership is breathtaking and the overall product as good as any you get in sport. But why is it not more widely loved? If you missed Harlequins’ epic comeback (where have we heard that before?) against Bristol last week, deepest sympathies of course, but do your best to savour any of Quins’ sensational tries.

It was Marcus Smith’s in the 72nd minute that did it. The Quins’ dazzling stand-off was confronted with massed ranks of Bristolians and so Smith ran across the field (even though they tell you not to at school) before magically turning back on himself at a slight angle, thus wrong-footing the defence, before chipping the ball over them all, and touching down unopposed leaving the Bristol-ians saying, ‘What on earth just happened?’

Smith’s claim on England’s No. 10 berth seems pretty overwhelming: he makes Owen Farrell look stodgy and leaden-footed by comparison, Frank Bruno to Smith’s Muhammad Ali. All he has to do is improve his place-kicking and he would be the brightest star in world rugby for a generation. Eddie Jones’s Achilles’ heel seems to be his loyalty to players past their sell-by date, so don’t hold your breath. But if Jones doesn’t act on this one then serious questions should be asked. And while you’re at it, Eddie, don’t forget Alex Dombrandt, the irresistibly powerful Quins No. 8 who seems to have a telepathic understanding with Smith.

Quins’ brilliant win came just a few days after one of the best rugby Tests ever played when the Springboks beat the All Blacks by a couple of points with a last-minute Elton Jantjies penalty after the full-time siren had sounded.