Cameron Smith could be a future England international, according to his Leeds Rhinos head coach.
The 23-year-old forward, who has spent his whole career to date with Leeds and is closing in on a century of appearances for the club, was recalled last week to the England Knights squad.
Smith was previously part of the Knights set-up in 2019, playing against Jamaica on familiar turf at Headingley.
His return to the group for England’s leading prospects is reward for a strong season in which he has helped Leeds make a late play-off charge.
And namesake Rohan Smith is not surprised to see him getting such recognition.
“Cameron is a very skilled player, a good team player, and he understands the game really well,” said the Leeds coach.
“He troubles teams, he’s a different sort of forward. A lot of forwards pass but he’s got another level of skill, I believe.
“He’s a quality player, a quality guy and a good leader. He’ll be valuable in the rep scene as well and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him playing for England.”
Smith could be back in contention for Leeds’ play-off showdown with Castleford Tigers on Saturday, after missing the previous two games with a minor leg injury.
David Fusitu’a also misses the Rhinos’ trip to Catalans Dragons today (Monday) with a calf strain and is a major doubt for the weekend.
The winger was one of several players to pick up knocks in last week’s controversial late win over Huddersfield Giants, though Liam Sutcliffe (knee) and Morgan Gannon (ribs) are named in the squad for the trip to Perpignan.
Aidan Sezer will be fresh for the final game with Castleford after serving a one-match ban today.
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