Glasgow Won't Be Rattled. The Log Is Theirs to Defend | Franco Smith

Sorry. There is a player like that with a similar name that we have been discussing. It's the same with David Krill. It's a discussing point at this stage. I think he's got some good potential.

He's one of the candidates that we are looking to bring over. Okay. I mean, there's been a lot of players who've said they'll be leaving at the end of the season. Are you any concerns about finding enough replacements for those guys? Look, Graeme, I think you and you wrote something about this as well.

This is a four-year cycle. We're coming into a fifth season with me and we want to keep on progressing. I love the boys here, but we also realise that their value goes up and their opportunities grow and you know to compete with a with a global market and keeping everybody in our environment will cut our throat and you know we're already 38 players only you know we're only 38 um people we would like to have an hopefully by the end of this season we'll see in growth in performance and a um downwards um not downward a downward measure of our average age in the group So, younger players, but with an established process, I said from the start, significance will lead to success, but significance is not negotiable. To be significant, some of the players that we proudly have shares in their future will go on. But the new generation, the Johnny Venti, the Fergus Watsons, the Ryan Burks, and all the young boys that we've introduced, that's in our radar and it's worked so well and hard.

We have to look at taking the product forward. We need more players. You know, we saw that you'll know the team selection is hard with injuries, the Six Nations, you know, the fact that we've competed on both ends, in both competitions to have a quality product for a significant time or for a sustainable time. We need to make some executive decisions. I don't want to ever use the word build.

We have been building every year. But we want to continue the growth and we want to continue making more players eligible for Scotland going into the 2031 and 2035 World Cups. But it can't stagnate, especially in the two-franchise rugby system. Okay. Thank you.

I'll let someone else have a go. Thank you. Just on the team selection, Franco, you kind of referred to it there. Obviously, some key players haven't quite returned to fitness in time in terms of George, Scotty and Matt. Look, this is not the final, Ewan.

There's still hopefully five games to play beyond this one tomorrow. And that's a lot of rugby. And, you know, to risk players back to injury now with the fact, you know, it would have been a different approach maybe if we played in the semi-final of the European Cup next week. So, obviously, we want to go full out and win. You know, last week hurts for us even if we know that there was big challenges to win that game.

And we played a very well-drilled team. So we still want to deliver our best performance, but we're also now in the process in the next three games that's ahead of us to make sure that we're well prepared if we end up playing in the playoffs in the weeks after that. Just a little bit on Ryan, he tells a little bit about him, how you view him as a player. It's obviously a big occasion for him. Yeah, the fantastic part is that his grandfather, you know, who drove his rugby dream for a long time, flew over to come and see him play this week.

And I brought a bit of tears into the change room. We're really proud of that, you know. So that's a win for me already, even from that perspective. The fact that we have these young players living their dream and going to play in front of, what's it, arguably 30,000 people tomorrow in a stadium like that. And, you know, what an occasion.

and that's part of our journey and it's part of the belief that I want in Glasgow Warriors. And he's a player that worked really hard during the last two years. He came to us very raw, basically at only height that counted in his favour and he worked diligently to become a really good rugby player and I excited to see him becoming another option for us going forward in that role Could you just ask about the Scots being out of action for semi final I know you'll say, Frank, you only look at the next game, you're not looking that far ahead, but if you were to get to the final, Glasgow were to get to the final, it might not even be played in Scotland. I mean, what's your view on that? Is it a big disadvantage?

Does it make top spot as important as previous seasons? Look, I would lie if I say that when we heard of it the first time, one was a little bit disappointed, obviously. But we've known this now for quite a while and we've learned to deal with it. and now it's not the hindrance it's more of a motivation for us to become the you know get to the best of our best to be able to win not at Scottsdale so yes obviously the original announcement was a disappointment to everybody there but and that's human but we've since then moved on this is a couple of months ago or away back to the when Commonwealth already was announced we knew that this was going to be a risk now that we um you know been leading the locks all these conversations obviously happens but now i'm going to go back and say we've dealt with that it can be it leads to motivate as a mode we try to turn it into a motivator but in the same time you're right there's a lot of rugby to be played before we can even you know because before that can become a disappointment just just lastly for me and also looking over ahead again but there's a kind of reporting the times today that you know your pre-season preparations might be kind of disrupted by not being able to use scotts and there's any comment on that i'm excited about changing it up a little bit it's now the fifth one um first pre-season to have a different look to it is great why not you know we gotta learn to deal with variables and it's for three weeks in the first block of this this pre-season and great well we must get out of our comfort zone a little bit and and that will push the boundaries again. And, you know, we're a blue-collar team.

We work really hard for what we want to achieve. Having to do it away from Scottsdale might even be a blessing. Okay, thank you, Franco. Go well. Thank you.

We've got to Bryn and then Jan. Hi, Franco. I know there were extenuating circumstances last week with injuries and young players and the altitude and everything, but, I mean, how much did the manner of that defeat not the confidence the players or how confident are you that they will respond instantly tomorrow obviously at sea level as well yeah hello brin no no i'm not at all i'm not at all the thing that that any influence will any of influence on our confidence we uh we in the year last three years or the three years that i've coached um this team all three years when we played them away from home we lost with more than 40 points even in the year that we won it on the 18th of may to 2024, we lost against them with 40 points and we ended up winning it six weeks later, four weeks later. So that's not going to influence. I've known and we've worked and played hard during the rest of the season to be four points ahead on the lock to allow us to manage these players or get these players to manage this trip.

This is a hard trip. The day when you see, when I saw next year, we're playing them in the last two weeks, we play the Sharks and the Bulls in the last two weeks and next season's fixture list as it currently stands. So we know then that if you play the South African, have the South African teams on tour late in the championship, you must make a hay when the sun shines. So during the season, we worked really hard to get to, you know, nobody really comes up and rocks up at Dallas Park and just knocks the lines over. Not even the local derbies are easily won there.

So it's a tough team and it's a tough competition and there's more ingredients into a plan than just one loss. The Lions obviously played really well against a team that was younger and had to travel on the high felt. If that's going to disrail this team, then I haven't done a good enough job up to now. There's motivation in that for us, but we'll move on and face the next challenge. if this is gonna this will be a rock in our shoe if we make this um hinder what needs to be done in the next six weeks and obviously that the storm has had quite a big um shot themselves last week they probably didn't expect to lose to corner how much do you hope to be able to capitalize on perhaps a little bit of them being short confidence this week no again in its lightness season i think I think confidence is continuity maybe and that you want in your team that is gonna play more of a role than confidence They are a good team They got some excellent Springboks in the team If you look at the team that they picked excellent players they have individual brilliance collective brilliance a good pack of fours four jumpers on the pitch at any time good bench players coming off the bench.

I think Kubis, Reunach and Sasha is obviously the Springbok pairing that everybody wants to see playing. The young Marcus Miller coming off the bench is proof of their confidence. They are prepared to even move some of the players around and bring young players through. I know it was Chippy Solomon's funeral this week. I personally expect them to come out and want to fix last week's result again with that same emotion so we expecting them to be on fire from the start.

Thank you Franco, go well. Thank you, Brian. Jan, thank you, miss. Hello Franco, welcome back in the Cape. Hello Jan, thank you.

It's nice to talk a little bit of Afrikaans here and there. Have you also Franco, if we can turn to the game, I mean, you spoke earlier about how tough it was and how far you lost the previous time. But you're on a different trajectory this season. What will be the winning and the losing of the game on Saturday? No, there's not the loss will be for me if our process are not an improvement from what we've seen in the last three weeks, three, four weeks.

So, yes, we want to win the game. We've always played to win the games. There's some challenges if you suddenly have two playoff games in the middle of a round-robin environment. It is tough to go from an absolute cutthroat environment where if you lose your out to a round-robin situation where obviously you build and progress and grow your team through introducing young players or managing your internationals or building your product to progress and becoming lethal in the back end of the season. So different missions, but we want the same outcome.

Of course, we want to win. Of course, the Stormers want to win. But I do not think winning or losing for both these teams will necessarily determine what their rugby programme is about at this stage of the season. So we will obviously, again, like I said just before, we would like to progress so that we get back on the horse. I think for us, the fact that our squad gets depleted during the Six Nations, which we obviously understand from the start, but there's still a bit of an effect to be blended back and get all those players back and get them back club fit and recovered from injury into this environment.

And now having played two European Cup games as well in the middle of it, that's ingredients that makes it important to use the next five weeks to grow our process again. From a Glasgow point of view, what are the things that you, and I'm not expecting you to give tactics away, but what are the things you most focused on or worked on this week heading into this game? Yeah, it was not on what the Stormers would bring. You know, this is not a, like I said, this is not a playoff game. This is a Brown-Droban game for us.

So we focused mostly on what we need to do, how we can progress. And we know the threats of, obviously, of the Stormers, but we need to be us and our focus is absolutely on what, to get back to the way that we've played. I fell during the European Cup and some at the back end of before the Six Nations. Thanks, Franco. Good luck for tomorrow.

Thanks, Jan. Well, Stephen, Graham, and then Adnan continue at the end. Thank you very much. How's it, Franco? Hello, Stephen.

Franco, you're an ex-international centre yourself. Are you surprised that the Storbers have gone for an 18-year-old centre on the bench in a game like this? I mean, you've got you and Sione and also Stafford in your 23. Is that a surprise to you at all? Because, I mean, you yourself know the kind of pressure that you expect here.

Stephen, just as I explained before, I think I commend Dobbo for that because I think the round-robin games are to introduce new players. manage your internationals and obviously win, but to progress. I think that he shows that by picking Marcus, I think the whole country wants to see him. He been mentioned he been at the alignment camps with Rossi and I suppose there a lot of expectation There never a right time for this So why not now It's still three weeks, four weeks away from the finals of the playoffs. There's enough time to maybe unearth another option.

I think in South Africa in general, I felt the Sharks now lately started playing some of the youngsters. The Lions have some youngsters coming through there and to see this now also with the Stormers, the Bulls, obviously I think if you have players in your rugby program that's good enough, you must be brave as a coach to introduce them. At this stage of the season, especially for where the Stormers sit on the lock, it's no ideal opportunity to bring somebody through. I had similar ideas with our team. The Stormers, you've obviously had their number the last few seasons.

I mean, have you noticed anything different about them this season? I mean, something that appears to be, there seems to be kind of an adaptability in their game. You know, they're not set in their ways in terms of transition. But what have you noticed about them this season that's different? Yeah, look, first of all, I think they didn't have a great season last season.

I think that was an anomaly, I suppose. I think for the good players and the quality players and the continuity and coaching that they've had in the last four, five years, six years, is obviously a benefit. And, you know, both Norman on the defence side of things would have learned some lessons during the last four years, which I can see clearly. The fact that they're more connected in their defence. I mean, there's more cohesion from attack perspective.

they've gone to a quad attack system, four players attacking from nine, which means there's a lot more face play from their side. And obviously, if you add all the quality individuals around that, I think it looks like they gel and understand each other better. And again, they score some La Vita. And then the thing that stands out most is the back and forwards. I think they're very well drilled from a line-out perspective.

You can look at the stats, both us and them are at the top of the log regarding mall drives and I think that the line-out is functioning really well. They arguably have the best line-out in the competition. Thank you Franco. Thanks Stephen. No, all good from me.

All the best, Franco. Thanks. Thanks, Graham. I'll add one if you're there. You got a bell.

Yeah, just on Franco's last point about the lineouts, the Stormers did lose one of their stalwarts in JD Schickling and they usually go with a 6-2 split, so that forced him now to revisit that and they will be playing 5-3. Do you feel that the lineouts, like you mentioned, they're strong there but they don't have the firepower that they had maybe last week or in previous weeks? Look, Ruben is just an accomplished line-out manager so I think they've lost Jadli Siegelen but on the one hand they've gained just in time Ruben back from injury as well. you know he's an accomplished person um they went for they went for four jumpers and i'm sure jason dixon will cover the lock so they still covered with somebody on the in they they have a good balance in the background between jump jumpers and you know carriers with him on there and and paul obviously um you know very good on from defense perspective of the ball so i think they've got good balance in the back uh yes i i realized the five three it might be be strategical, maybe the fact that the temperature is going to be a little bit higher than what we're used to can be something that they've taken into consideration. But at the same time, if you want to get Marcus Miller on the pitch like it looks like they intend, you have to keep somebody back in their backs to avoid playing a loose forward on the wing at the back end of the game.

So definitely, I would have thought the idea is to bring Marcus up on during the game and then have the other two backs there to recover. Yeah, I think you're spot on me. Thanks very much. Thank you very much. Thank you.

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