Leicester Tigers' man-of-match Matt Smith is a great advert for marriage
There was seemingly no better advert for the great institution of marriage than Matt Smith's man-of-the-match performance against Exeter Chiefs on Saturday.
Having got down on one knee and proposed to his childhood sweetheart, Alicia, on Friday morning, Smith lit up the 30-8 win on live TV with a stunning showing on both sides of the ball.
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Leicester Tigers' Matt Smith
His water-tight defence included some bone-crunching hits that the injured Manu Tuilagi would have been proud of and his decision-making and distribution were top class.
So was Smith's loved-up frame of mind, the reason for his game-winning form?
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"It was actually a nice distraction to play rugby and not talk about weddings for a while," said the 26-year-old.
"We were at school together and there have been so many false dawns where I was going to do it, so it was nice.
"I did it Friday morning before training but I didn't tell any of the lads because we had a big game the following day."
While Smith's plans before the game were with one eye on his future, Leicester's concern on the morning of Exeter's visit was very much for the present as they attempted to win their first game in three matches.
Smith played a huge part in that success, helping Adam Thompstone to a hat-trick on his league debut to pick up a post-game bottle of bubbly.
But he believes Tigers still have plenty to work on ahead of Friday night's trip to face the winless Sale Sharks.
"I think the last man-of-the-match award I got was when one of my mates was a sponsor," said Smith.
"Getting back to winning ways at home was nice. We got a lot more ball than the other two weeks and, when we get good ball like that, it's lot easier for everyone.
"We got a roasting on the Monday (after losing to Harlequins) and a few harsh words were said.
"We drive our own standards and we improved against Exeter but there were a few mistakes and we have work to do.
"We have a short turnaround this week and we need to recover very quickly because Sale will be looking for a big scalp up there.
"They have had a tough start to the season and, if they get a result there, that will be a boost to their confidence.
"It will be another tough week of training."
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