England star Marcus Smith has blown rugby fans away with an exceptional piece of quick thinking to record one of the fastest ever tries in the Gallagher Premiership.

Smith's Harlequins faced Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park on Saturday, May 11, and unfortunately the away side lost the game 58-26. However, throughout the course of the match the teams were well matched, with the score at 21-21 when the second half started.

Despite the big loss away from home, fly-half Smith gave Quins fans something to remember with a remarkable bit of ingenuity in the closing stages, just after Wales international Dafydd Jenkins had scored for the hosts.

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With the stadium announcer still calling out the Chiefs skipper's score and the TNT Sports cameras focused directly on the Welsh lock, Smith decided to take a very short kick-off, collecting the ball just as it passed the 10-metre line.

With a sharp exchange of passing, which saw Smith get involved once again to ping the ball wide right, Italy international Louis Lynagh dived into the corner for an airborne finish.

At 58-21 down with two minutes to go, it might have seemed a pointless act from the England star, but there was method in the madness.

That score proved to be Quins' four-try losing bonus point, which may prove crucial when it comes to qualifying for the play-offs. Currently, Quins are two points shy of Sale Sharks, who are in fourth place. But they are now level on points with Chiefs themselves, who secured the win.

At 12 seconds, it's one of the fastest-ever scores from a restart in the Premiership. Ireland legend Brian O'Driscoll was on co-comms for the match and was blown away by the effort.

"This is a huge, huge try for Quins in the context of the season," began O'Driscoll.

"I don't know if our cameras managed to catch it. Marcus Smith with the really quick drop-out. There's no one up in the front line. He thought he'd undercooked it but (Luke) Northmore was the one that read off him. He kept the ball alive and where were Exeter Chiefs?

"They were already at full time in their heads. But Quins had something else to deliver right at the very end and that could be absolutely crucial."

You can watch the clip below.

Northampton Saints have already booked themselves a home semi-final date on Friday, May 31, after absolutely hammering Gloucester Rugby 90-0. You can read more about that here.