Ex-South\u00a0Africa fly-half Franco Smith’s record at Glasgow Warriors has boosted his credentials amid rumours he could be in line for the Scotland head coach job.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Smith will lead Glasgow in the Champions Cup last 16 against\u00a0his former outfit the Bulls.<\/p>\n
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Smith arrived at the Scottish club in 2022 and has led them to a United Rugby Championship\u00a0(URC)\u00a0crown, a Challenge Cup final and now the continental top tier’s knock-out stages.<\/p>\n
The 53-year-old’s ability to bring success to Scotstoun Stadium\u00a0has catapulted him\u00a0to the frontrunner to replace Gregor Townsend after the 2027 Rugby World Cup, with the former Glasgow boss linked with the job at Newcastle Red Bulls.<\/p>\n
“He’s\u00a0a guy that has got Glasgow absolutely flying, but has found a way to get physical performances out of a Glasgow Warriors side as well, which is maybe the thing people would argue is lacking at international\u00a0level\u00a0with\u00a0Scotland,” former Glasgow and Scotland back-rower Johnnie Beattie told AFP.<\/p>\n
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“As\u00a0a Scottish rugby fan\u00a0or\u00a0as\u00a0a\u00a0former Glasgow Warriors\u00a0player\u00a0or\u00a0a\u00a0Glasgow Warriors supporter now,\u00a0this\u00a0is\u00a0probably\u00a0the best rugby\u00a0that\u00a0the city of Glasgow has\u00a0produced\u00a0in the\u00a0professional\u00a0era.<\/p>\n
“If Gregor\u00a0is\u00a0to go off to Newcastle Red Bulls come the end of the World Cup in 2027, Franco Smith would\u00a0be\u00a0the\u00a0clear\u00a0favourite\u00a0for the job from everyone in Scotland,” Beattie added.<\/p>\n
Smith’s journey to western Scotland included six years coaching at Italians Treviso, sandwiched between spells at the Free State Cheetahs after a playing career in South Africa, Wales and Italy, as well as nine Springboks Tests.<\/p>\n
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He returned to Italy in 2019 as the Azzurri’s head coach,\u00a0helping to set\u00a0the foundations for their recent upturn in fortune under Gonzalo Quesada.<\/p>\n
– \u00a0‘Attractive’ –<\/p>\n
“Franco’s\u00a0a world-class coach,” former Italy and Treviso lock Dean\u00a0Budd told AFP.<\/p>\n
“I’ve\u00a0always held him in very high\u00a0regard in that manner, his\u00a0technical aptitude is second to none, he understands the game so\u00a0incredibly\u00a0well.<\/p>\n
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“My\u00a0reservations\u00a0early on were how his style\u00a0matched\u00a0the\u00a0Italian\u00a0style of a\u00a0little\u00a0bit more\u00a0relaxed\u00a0approach\u00a0to\u00a0things.<\/p>\n
“I\u00a0would\u00a0say\u00a0he\u00a0took\u00a0some\u00a0really\u00a0good\u00a0learnings\u00a0away\u00a0from\u00a0having\u00a0to\u00a0leave\u00a0Italy.<\/p>\n
“He’s\u00a0very\u00a0to the point in his approach and was received well\u00a0by\u00a0some\u00a0and not\u00a0always\u00a0by\u00a0others,” New Zealand-born Budd added. <\/p>\n
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Smith headed\u00a0to Glasgow to a team low on confidence after they finished eighth in the league the previous season — their lowest league position since 2010\u201311.<\/p>\n
Beattie, who spent eight seasons at the club\u00a0before spells at French sides\u00a0Montpellier,\u00a0Castres\u00a0and Bayonne, was\u00a0an unofficial\u00a0part of the recruitment process.<\/p>\n
“Glasgow\u00a0had\u00a0asked\u00a0me to\u00a0ask\u00a0a few people that I was playing\u00a0with\u00a0what\u00a0he’d\u00a0been like as\u00a0a\u00a0coach,” he said.<\/p>\n
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“I played with quite\u00a0a few of\u00a0the\u00a0Cheetahs\u00a0players so\u00a0I\u00a0picked\u00a0their\u00a0brains\u00a0and\u00a0they\u00a0all came back with overwhelmingly\u00a0positive feedback.<\/p>\n
“It’s\u00a0pretty\u00a0rare\u00a0nowadays\u00a0with\u00a0coaches, to be honest.<\/p>\n
“Somebody’s\u00a0always\u00a0had\u00a0a\u00a0negative\u00a0experience\u00a0or has something bad\u00a0to\u00a0say\u00a0in passing, but\u00a0with\u00a0Franco, the feedback\u00a0was\u00a0overwhelmingly\u00a0good,” he added.<\/p>\n
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This\u00a0season,\u00a0Smith’s\u00a0Warriors top the URC table\u00a0and are the\u00a0league’s\u00a0joint-leading try scorers, alongside the Bulls.<\/p>\n
They\u00a0reached\u00a0the Champions Cup last 16 as second seeds\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0perfect\u00a0run in the pool stages, which included a statement victory over record six-time winners Toulouse.<\/p>\n
“There’s\u00a0an attractive brand of rugby\u00a0that\u00a0is\u00a0fun to\u00a0watch\u00a0and follow, but\u00a0it’s\u00a0also\u00a0winning\u00a0rugby,” Beattie said.<\/p>\n
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“That\u00a0would\u00a0be\u00a0down to\u00a0his\u00a0coaching style, his influence on the\u00a0players, the\u00a0structures\u00a0and the templates\u00a0that\u00a0he’s\u00a0put\u00a0on\u00a0that\u00a0squad.<\/p>\n
“All\u00a0those\u00a0things\u00a0point in the direction of an incredibly,\u00a0incredibly\u00a0smart coach who is doing a\u00a0wonderful\u00a0job,” he added.<\/p>\n
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