Franco Smith’s coaching credentials continue to soar

Franco Smith’s coaching credentials continue to soar after his Glasgow Warriors team downed the Bulls at their fortress in the United Rugby Championship (URC) final on Saturday.

Smith’s team overcame a slow start to slay the Bulls 21-16 in the final at a packed Loftus Versfeld which drew a smile from the modest former Shimlas, Cheetahs, Treviso and Italy coach.

The astute mentor knew his team had to confront the Bulls head on and more than match them in the physicality stakes. Moreover, they were desperate to set the tone in areas the Bulls were thought to have the ascendancy.

“We applied pressure instead of absorbing it,” said Smith. “We planned and we prepped and weren’t going to use travel as an excuse. We said we would not talk about the altitude. I have to complement the players. They banned the myth that altitude determines the outcome.”

Matt Fagerson, Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones and captain Kyle Steyn were warriors in every sense as the visitors took the fight to the much fancied home team.

Though the Bulls initially had the upper hand in the scrums that advantage gradually waned. The Warriors proved redoubtable in the line-outs, and tellingly, mauled with familiar menace.

“From a rugby perspective, we had hardly given away maul tries this whole season,” said Smith who added he was calm even when the match was in the balance at the end.

“We’ve been talking about the process the whole year. I backed the process and the boys backed it and in the end that brought the win. Our theme for the pre season was ‘trust’.”

His team also bravely defended their try line as the Bulls ran out of steam and ultimately ideas.

They were every bit the battle hardened warriors Smith envisaged his team could be.

The coach noted before his team’s league match at Loftus earlier this year that the Warriors and Scottish players in general, need to develop a hard mental edge in the matches that matter. The Warriors were titanium tipped at Loftus.

It was a process two years in the making and had its origins in an unlikely source. “When I started here two years ago, one morning at 7am, I rolled out whiskey to everybody to give them a wee taste of what it would be to have a dram of whiskey on the back of a win,” Smith recalled.

“I told them to savour that, keep that in your mind and one day, as soon as we win something, that evening we will have a dram of whiskey and a cigar. Tonight, I think these guys have merited that.

“It’s fantastic, the boys played so well, fronted up and should be really proud. Even when we were behind, the halftime chat was easy, we knew we had a good plan for the second half of the game.”

Steyn, the Warriors’ SA-born captain who has proved a capable and fearless leader, recalled Smith laying down the foundations of a champion team.

“If you look at where we were 24 months ago, Franco came in and I think the biggest thing he had to do was to get us to believe and give us a sense of direction,” said Steyn.

“You think back to drinking whiskey out of a polystyrene cup on one of his first days. There were a lot of boys who thought he was insane, to be honest.

“The consistency in his conviction, the way he goes about his business and what he believes in, that gave us a real sense of direction. Now we look to drinking whiskey out those cups and it doesn’t seem so crazy.”

Steyn’s journey has also been storied. The winger who once battled on the tough streets of the SuperSport Rugby Championship qualified to play for Scotland through his Glaswegian mother.

Once in Scotland his fortunes were transformed.

“Life has a funny way of going in circles. When I reflect, I’ve had incredible support from family, friends, coaches. My career has been incredible. Moving halfway across the world I just cannot thank the people of Glasgow enough for making it feel like home.”