That’s what Franco Smith did with his recent Glasgow run;
Franco Smith is unfazed by an underwhelming end to Glasgow-based United’s Rugby Championship season as he fully expects his side to rise to the occasion in Saturday’s play-off quarter-final against the Stormers.
The Warriors head into the clash with South Africa on the back of losses to the Bulls and Lions and an underwhelming win against the bottom-of-the-table Zebras.
Smith is confident that his team, who are fourth in the URC table, are ready to return to their best form when it matters most. The coach said, “Everything has to be put into perspective.
That’s what Franco Smith did with his recent Glasgow run;
“We’ve reached a point in the season where we’ve already qualified and done what needs to be done. Last week’s result can’t be changed too much this week. The focus has been really good since the start of the week.
“This week has been special, you can see the players are eager to come out and express themselves. Over the last few weeks, they have felt ready for the big occasion and hopefully they can channel that energy into a smart performance against the Stormers.”
Glasgow, who welcome back captain Kyle Steyn, won 20-9 in their last meeting with the Stormers at Scotstown in November. “It was good to win the match,” said Smith.
That’s what Franco Smith did with his recent Glasgow run;
“It’s certainly better to use the win against them in that match but it won’t affect our preparations too much this week.
“We looked back at it a little bit as a coaching group to see what was done and how it worked, but it’s not going to affect this game at all.
That’s what Franco Smith did with his recent Glasgow run;
“It’s going to be a whole new challenge because it’s a single match, it’s knockout rugby, it’s not going to be as generous as the previous game, I think.”
The Stormers are fifth in the URC, one place behind Glasgow, and Smith expects a tough test.” They’ve had a rough start and dropped some games they’re used to winning but they’re still last year’s finalists and the team that won it the year before. That’s what Franco Smith did with his recent Glasgow run.
“They’ve still got the same players there, the same quality. They’ve got a lot of Springboks across the board, their coaching team has been with them for a while, so they have good continuity. They have got a solid platform so it will be tough to come out on top.”