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Rugby

Smith set for Super Rugby coaching role

───   08:24 Mon, 04 May 2015

Smith set for Super Rugby coaching role | News Article

Varsity Cup winning coach, Franco Smith, may very well take over from Naka Drotské as the Toyota Cheetahs head coach for the Super Rugby as from next season.

According to the Sunday paper, Rapport, the Cheetahs top-brass met last week and a decision was made that Smith would take over the role and an announcement is expected shortly.
 
Last month it was also reported that the former Springbok flyhalf would also take of the head coaching role of the Free State Cheetahs Currie Cup team, after he assisted the side last season as the backline coach.
 
The news comes off the back of the Cheetahs outstainf 25-17 win over the Stormers over the Super Rugby which saw the side from Cape Town conceded the South African conference lead and overall second place in the standings to the Bulls.
 
The Bulls hard fought 35-33 over the Lions in the Jukskei derby saw the Bulls leapfrog Allistair Coetzee's side.
 
Stormers captain and Springbok eighth-man Duane Vermeulen put the loss down to arrogance, while taking nothing away from the Cheetahs spirit during the tussle.
 
"In a way, we pitched up here in an arrogant mental state. There was some arrogance after beating the Bulls the previous week and pitching up here against a team near the bottom of the standings and thinking we were going to win the game.
 
"Rugby is a physical game, but also a mental game. You have got to play both very well. We pitched up physically, but I think we lost it in the mental game," said the former Cheetahs hard-man.
 
Vermeulen also mentioned that their are a few attitudes floating around in the side and said they had no place to question referee Craig Joubert on his decisions.
 
"There were a lot of chiefs and not a lot of indians. And that made it difficult for me to lead the team. Everyone wanted to put in their five cents and that's where we lost it," said Vermeulen.
 
Coach Allister Coetzee he knew that fingers would be pointed at replacement fly Kurt Coleman for his four penalty attempts he missed on goal, however said this is not where his team lost.
 
Even if Coleman successfully converted all four shots on goals and Joe Pietersen landed the Cheetahs second conversion and third penalty, the side from central South Africa would have still trumped the Stormers 30-29.
 
Coetzee also made mention of the so-called attitude but using the indians analogy and they side need to sort themselves out ahead of the class against the Brumbies.
 
"It's simple now...the indians are going to be pulled back into line very quickly,"said Coetzee.
 
"It's difficult for Duane out there because he has to also play his own game. He can't control everything. He can't control a guy who can't find touch, or make the right call, or hit a jumper.
 
"We had a dominant scrum, won some penalties, kicked the ball out and then couldn't win the lineout. It's frustrating, but we're looking for solutions," the coach concluded.
 
Meanwhile, the Cheetahs have their second bye week of the Super Rugby this week and Drotské said they are looking forward to some time off and are equally looking forward to getting a lot of their injured players back.
 
The Cheetahs next face the Highlanders on 16 May when the two sides lock-horns in Bloemfontein.
 
Morgan Piek / OFM News 

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