Prodigy Smith an endangered species

Ollie Smith was mildly intrigued to discover that he was six months old the last time England were beaten by Scotland at Twickenham. "Really?" said Leicester's newly capped 20-year-old centre. "Better make sure we keep it going, then."

It was possible to go on, pointing out that Peter Wheeler, the chief executive at Smith's club, Dusty Hare, the Academy coach, and Paul Dodge, another Tigers employee, were all in the England side who went down to the Scots 22-12 that day in March 1983. But the young man's eyes were glazing over. It is rare for players of Smith's calibre to take an interest in statistics. They prefer to create them and let others do the maths.

It would be understandable if Smith is inured to what he has achieved, with more set to come as England's Grand Slam quest continues against the Scots on Saturday. His ascent has been startlingly swift and sure. A season-ticket holder at Leicester, his local club, at the age of seven, he made his way via Thurlston School and John Cleveland College – where Dean Richards was a pupil – into the champions' Academy. At 18, he made his first-team debut against London Irish. "We sent Ollie off to train with the senior side and he never came back," recalls Andy Key, Leicester's Academy director.

Next stop: England. Smith says with a smile that "politics" held him back in the Under-18 age-group. No matter, Under-19 and Under-21 caps soon followed, interspersed with a Heineken Cup final for Leicester against Munster and a Barbarians appearance, both in Cardiff last May. At England A level, his debut last month could have gone better – he was depowered by a bang on the head against the French. But last Sunday, his "dream came true", as a replacement against Italy.

If anything, this was the most complicated bit of the tale. "Clive [Woodward] gave me a tap just after half-time," Smith said. "He told me I'd be on for Will Greenwood in about 10 minutes, and I thought, 'Yeah, brilliant'. Then Jonny [Wilkinson] went down and Charlie [Hodgson] had to go on, so it got delayed. Then Charlie went down and it got delayed a few more minutes, and in the end I had to go on at 12, with Will at 10."

Mr Smith had no intention of penning an anonymous entry in the Twickenham visitors' book. Taking a superb line on to a long pass from Josh Lewsey and a shorter one from Greenwood, he headed at top speed towards the last line of Italian cover. Nerve endings ablaze; the brain ice-cool. The kind of body swerve that cannot be taught fixed the wing, Mirco Bergamasco. Finally, a draw of the full-back, Gert Peens, to put Dan Luger away for a try. As someone once said of another Leicester sporting hero, the boy done brilliant.

Richards was asked what he thought of the Italy match: "Didn't see it. But I heard Ollie went well." These East Midlanders can be dry at times. Perhaps it's their distance from the sea. Smith himself returned to the dressing room "on top of the world", but aware in the aftermath of England's 40-5 win of others less fortunate. Hodgson, cruelly, had caught his studs in the turf and torn his anterior cruciate ligament, an injury which will put him out for six to nine months.

Wilkinson had his almost weekly bout with shoulder trouble, and reprised Will Carling's experience of failing to finish his first match as captain, but is expected to play for Newcastle today against Smith and Leicester in the Premiership at Kingston Park.

Smith is a fine example of England's strength in depth but it is, literally, being sorely tested. Among the backs, Jason Robinson, Luger, Ben Cohen, Austin Healey, Iain Balshaw, Mike Tindall and Mike Catt are all either in the process of a comeback or engaged in rehabilitation. "You'll run out of fly-halves at some stage," mused Smith, though it is not his problem to solve.

He has been tutored at centre by Leicester's Australians, Pat Howard and Rod Kafer, and is expected to move from outside to inside before too long. Throw together a few rumoured transfers, and Healey's statement that he wants to revert to scrum-half, and a future Leicester back-line could read: Healey, Wilkinson, Smith and Daniel Herbert, the Wallaby.

Yet the system which helped produce Smith is under attack. The 14 England Academy directors were called to a powwow on Friday with Chris Spice, the Rugby Football Union's performance director, to discuss cuts in funding of between £25,000 and £50,000 each. Leicester would probably survive on the reduced means, but for other clubs it is a significant shortfall.

Smith, who is in the third year of a sports science degree at Loughborough, has the ability to take both the short and long views. He will be up against another England candidate, Jamie Noon, this after-noon before joining up with a squad of 30 to prepare for the Calcutta Cup.

"Scotland had a good performance against Wales last weekend," said Smith. "As for us, Greenwood and Tindall both played extremely well against Italy, so I'll wait and see. I'm playing for Leicester, my dream club, one week and, fingers crossed, I'll be representing my country again next week. My career's only going to last till I'm 30 or 32, so I have to soak it up while I can."