The Cheetahs have rubbished reports that coaches such as Deon Davids, Hawies Fourie, and Matthew Proudfoot have been approached.

They did confirm that the new coach will be appointed before the Currie Cup, and that he will form part of the technical staff for the competition.

A five-member panel is in the process of being appointed which will be tasked with finding a new coach for the franchise.

The process will involve interviews with the top three or five candidates, as well as, a presentation from the shortlisted coaches.

The names on the panel have not been finalised yet, however, is expected that the current Springbok coach, Rassie Erasmus, will be on that list.

The managing director of the Cheetahs, Harold Verster, emphasised the importance of a seamless transition.

“In order to ensure a smooth transition, Franco will remain in the position as head coach for Currie Cup, whereafter the new coach will take over the reins for Guinness Pro14 later in September.

“The new coach will be part of the coaching structures during Currie Cup to experience the culture.

“In the meanwhile, the Board of Directors has started with the process by assigning a panel which includes relevant role players that will be responsible to appoint the best candidate as the new head coach for the Toyota Cheetahs.”

Smith will stay on as the Director of Rugby at the franchise until the end of November.

Smith will be heading to Italy where he will be taking over as the countries national coach as from 1 January 2020.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport