Hear from Head Coach, Franco Smith, and club captain, Kyle Steyn, ahead of the 2024 BKT URC Grand Final at Loftus Versfeld.
#WhateverItTakes
https://www.glasgowwarriors.org/
BUY MATCH TICKETS ➡ http://bit.ly/2H9XhjY
SEASON TICKET INFO ➡ https://t.co/9GSEVFnRqY
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTERS ➡ https://bit.ly/2xZO4ti
JOIN THE WARRIOR NATION ➡ https://bit.ly/3mwTKiT
STORE ➡ https://bit.ly/2YVg24s
INSTAGRAM ➡ https://bit.ly/3fILj0g
FACEBOOK ➡ https://bit.ly/2SXvskZ
X (TWITTER) ➡ https://bit.ly/2WIzFtK
TIKTOK ➡ https://bit.ly/3Q1sQ3f
glasgo team to play the Bulls um Jamie batty number one Johnny Matthews Zander fagerson Richie gray Scott Cummings Matt fagerson Rory Doge Jack damsey backs is George horn Tom Jordan car steinon is also the skipper SI talut U Jones Sebastian celier Josh McKai under Replacements George Turner Nathan McBeth kibble Max Williamson Yan Ferry enko fenter and Jamie Doby and dun wear just Franco sum up how big a match this is for you in the context of your time at Glasgow yeah obviously you know last year we had that other final opportunity and um this is obviously the the Pinnacle and um of this season so we’re really looking forward to be a part of it how much do you think you have developed and matured as a team over the past year since the two long game yeah definitely a lot of lessons learned I think out of the quarterfinal match last year against moner at home and then obviously the final in the of the challenge Cup last season um you know we’ve we’ve learned and grown we’ve taken some of those um those learnings into our preseason and we tooken through the season through the whole season and uh could have apply some of them already so um we’re looking forward now to you know to face this next challenge which is obviously the next step for us morning guys obviously it’s second final for you Franco third final for you kle how how do you keep from getting caught up in the emotion of this weekend um I think you just got to you know we’ve got a really clear plan um and approaches that we’ve put in place that’s worked for us um over the last two weeks and I think it’s just focusing on that plan um and not getting carried away just making sure that you know the focus stays in the moment and you that moment and then and then move to the next one it’s again another very consistent team selection only changes coming on the bench has that how do you think this has faired you throughout the season well you know the um obviously we have a different objectives during the season you know it’s about getting new players to introduced to this level of play it’s about developing the squad it’s about freshness enthusiasm it’s about managing 20 Scottish Internationals to have everybody it’s a long season you know if you include the World Cup reparation these guys have been out at for a very long time so um obviously it was all built in um to place to allow us now in the last part of the season to have the best available team out there to represent a very competitive Squad and just lastly for me you spoke last week Franco about playing the game not the occasion how obviously biggest game of the season this weekend how do you keep from getting caught up in the occasion last week oh I think we’ve learned a lot from last week’s game you know there was 20,000 arish supporters in at at TH Park and it was uh could have been intimidating but I think we’ve taken a lot from that um in our um preparation for this week we know that we’ll face a a pretty hostile crowd over here as well and it’s it’s just double the number that we’ve we we’ve we’ve seen last week so but again it’s like the call just uh mentioned now it’s just focusing on the at hand and not get engulfed by the by the occasion great thank you cool thank you David BNS hi Franco on on that note about the consistency same team for three weeks has that been hard to manage in terms of you know during this during the regular season guys know that the Chance is going to come around have you had to manage that this week that you know this is this is it and if you’re not in you’re not you know you’re not getting a chance to play the biggest game of the year well I think there was clear from the start they were competing for to play in the final from the start no no team in this competition set off just to participate so the players was clearly communicated to everybody that um everybody’s got a chance to play in it and everybody’s got to perform at their best and uh um obviously um I’ve got a good relation with the players and they are they would understand the process and the plan and and the players that’s been selected that’s must take that responsibility on board you know they represent more than the just the club and themselves also the teammates that will have to deal with a disappointment of not being involved just spoken to Jak white who was saying that um when you guys played them in the regular season it was a different kind of pressure because you kind of were looking for four tries because you trying to get back to the top League this is you know wi win win or bust you know doesn’t matter does that change your mindset coming into this game uh no not really um look I think there’s there’s been a lot of change in in both teams over the last month um you know and um you know we’ve learned a lot of lessons from our trip here the last time and matured a lot as a side but um I think again you know it comes down to having a plan and having a process and making sure that you know you don’t let any of the external pressures sort of influence that um and yeah and I think the last two weeks has has given us a lot of belief in that plan um you know which gives us the confidence to to back that plan again this week and in the last count I saw Kyle you had 25 friends and family coming to support you have you managed to boost that number any any higher yeah that’s it um I you know our operations manager pump um I think if if it’s not my dad whatsapping him it’s me what’sapp him to make sure we’ve got enough tickets and there’s the requests keep coming in so I think um I’m not too sure how many Franco’s got but um yeah I think we’ve asked for over over 35 tickets this time around thanks kale steart thanks Franco J White told us this morning that his message to the team to his team this week has just been let’s just do what we did last week is has that been your message or have you focused more on where there’s room for improvement from the monster day no I don’t think what we’ve done last week will be enough to beat the Bulls here we’ll have to make a step up I think there is going to be a big challenge we know I know this I’m South African I know the their heartbeat I know how the blood goes to their veins and I know how they um how they desperately want this to succeed so we Face another challenge it’s it’s not there will be comparables but we definitely see this is a different Challenge and yes agree we must step up if we want to you know to to be competitive until the end of the game d we made a big impact late in the game last time when you played The Bu in defeat was was his contribution then the reason why he’s been selected on the bench this time yeah look the ball flies a little bit further over here because of the height above sea level and he has that ability to kick a little bit um from further further out you know we uh against um against monster we declined a couple of opportunities because of the little bit of wind in our face and you know it’s just georg’s range is just up to a certain point where where Duncan’s got a little bit more uh distance in it and then that’s one part of it yes he contributes immensely off the field and his experience is counting in his favor at the moment he’s been a cool hit in a lot of test matches before so maybe from that perspective that that just gave him the not dat of Rost this week gr Bean hi Franco um it’s the last game in Glasco colors for a couple of guys um George Turner and oie kble do you sense you’ll get something special from these two tomorrow yeah definitely from them I think they would would love to you know leave the the jersey for the next person and and a with a lot of responsibility in it but uh yeah I think we from our side also I think the rest of the team is also going to have to step up to you know send them off on a proper in a proper way so yeah there’s a lot of uh some of that emotion in that but um uh it will hopefully is all channeled into to what needs to be done thanks Frank good luck cheers Grand mfers hi guys Franco you’re a man who always likes to be quite organized I just wonder how this week has been for you obviously the players coming at different times and not been able to train as much how you found that kind of disruption no we weren’t disrupted at all so um it was always the plan to be on Wednesday afternoon um even the last time when we came out to the Bulls we just came in different flights and it’s it’s it work it’s there was no change in it the important fact uh part of it was that we got here in time to you know to do the prep Year and have enough time to recover so no um we have anticipated something like this in the in the weeks before so um no surprises um nothing that unsettled the team and we followed the similar schedule and team that we’ve had when we played here last time so a lot of similarities to the boys and that’s basically what the reason for the for the being organized is to give them opportunity to to focus on what’s task at hand and not be distracted by something so I’m very happy um the preparation and the travel will not been excused this week and K can I just ask you is the same referee as last weekend did you have to try and get him on side after the way the match started against Monster uh no not really um look I think we we know that need to make a step up and you know in our in our discipline and the way we started that game um you know like Franco says it’ll be a whole new challenge this week and um you know the Bulls have all the power to make us pay for for mistakes like that but um again you know I think you can’t control you know what the referee feels and and decisions he makes so we can only control on you know our actions and and how we respond to them so that’s where our focus is thanks guys all the best cool South African media that are online you’ll have one question we start with ashwak and then we will go to Morgan and then we will round off with Simon Rickett ashwak thanks Franco have there been extra Africans lessons this week to work out the Bulls line calls I know uh you guys always are great Ming team um yeah no no need for that I think um I think we know that games moved on to Beyond line out gos anymore and I think the guys have it’s by the back end of the season I think it will will be uh we will take more than just understanding what the lineup calls us Moran thanks lungo hi Kyle hi Franco Franco this is not your first final um at lus 2007 if I remember correctly but how special is this being able to bring a team over to play in a stadium where you actually played as a player as well yeah look it’s fantastic the Bulls have was magnificent in my career as a player um uh I’ve had found memories and some of my best friends you know came out of that 98 group and that other the period that I’ve been here so um yeah it’s it’s it’s it’s it’s excellent to come out here um I’ve been here obviously now a couple of times during the years with with with the cheetas and and and with the spring box so um seeing LOF as fo is is always always special and and a special motivation and so um to share this experience with people I work with um now currently is is fantastic I do feel regardless of the result um this experience will will mean a lot to um my other the team’s um you know experience levels and what they what they can experience in will track I still believe that lofas is the best place to play rugby the ball travels a little bit further the wind never blows the temperature is always the same and the crowd’s always enthusiastic so um definitely um a proud moment but also excellent to to share it with with with boys that will take it um on board in for the rest of their careers Simon Okay an thank you L um I just have one question for Kyle um how do you erase the memory of your last visit to South Africa uh what would your message be to your team members oh no this we we certainly won’t erase it um you know it was only a month ago and you know there were lots of valuable lessons um you know that can help us tomorrow um and I think we’ve we’ve used that by just trying to take those lessons to make sure that you know we grow as a team and grow with the decisions we make um and use it as use it as fuel for tomorrow flank if the starts to be believed you won a third of your spring B caps here in h Petoria um you know when you play that last game against the old blacks in 99 could you ever imagine coming back now as a head coach of a Scottish team in a European League final it’s quite a turn yeah look it was super ay back in the day and so much have changed um since then um so yeah it’s been fantastic 20 what’s it 20 25 years ago um I remember I had a one-on-one with Alia in the top right corner um with 10 minut met to go to the Trion and as I tackle him over the touch line the way LST reacted to that was always special so good to come back here and uh experience that again is this the most hostile CL these guys all ever experienced obviously they’ve C with it months last week but does it go up another notch again here look we experienced quite the Hostile group um now in at Bon and then obviously here at moner last week and so I um I don’t see the the LOF this gr out as as hostile as much as they just so enthusiastic I don’t think there’s uh so much negativity around them obviously um we’ve experienced the super silence when somebody kicks a goal at monster year he we will expect it differently so we prepared for that and um but still you know um I think we should not at this level let us be you know influenced by by by something we can’t control one for Kyle you know obviously been so close to to home Kyle and you know come here with the country the team and the place that you made your your home now just like special would it be to to to be up there collecting that trophy tomorrow night yeah look it be messed be special laugh as a funny way of you know going in circles like this that kind of you know forces you to take him moment and and just reflect um you know which is really special but um you know I think just yeah the journey for this group over the last you know 24 months um you know everyone in the building the amount effort they’ve put in all the people back in Glasgow um I think to be able to do it for all of them tomorrow would be would be really special just the GU from the two knockout games and the man of the those wins so far in terms of you know qualities that are maybe not always associated with GL the way you constructed those has been really ined yeah well I suppose you know it’s been something you know since you know last year’s playoffs that we’ve been working away of you know as a group as coaches as players um and I think there’s there’s no other way to get the belief in then going out there and doing it and I think that’s exactly you know what it’s done it’s it’s given us the belief in that plan and the fact that we can do it and that it does work and I think that um yeah belief is is the biggest thing we’ll take out of the last two weeks goodby thanks than coach uh similar qu similar question to what you asked down now but um one change in the team which is probably a huge positive with the travel Factor can just take us uh around how you how that has helped your preparation for the final yeah obviously um our main training session was on Saturday against monster so it was easy to take those um the fitness levels the the contact levels that was required the mentality you know you can’t train that so we put it obviously a training value to that which allows us the back end of the week to be more um organized if there’s not a lot of change in the team so the guys know I mean Nathan comes back after missing last week just with a with with from hi injury and um he F in because the the preparations were mostly done leading up to the to the fin after to the quarterfinal against Stormer so and then Duncan he’s been engaged um the whole time you know he carried the water and in the last two games to be you know he’s he’s up he he forms part of the leadership group on the field so um that continuity obviously is is a second to n one of the one of your team strong points always from your basis cheetah coach is the Counterattack um I mean this year your your style is also get counter attack but the Bulls changed their the kicking game last week I must your approach change as a counterattacking team when a kick longer longer like like last week oh well that doesn’t change much for us obviously because um when we prep when we prep we train during the season you already start preparing for any kick that can come to you so there’s a longer flatter ones and there’s ones that’s got a 5sec hang time there’s ones that got a six or seven hang time now year and with a higher um altitude these the cross kicks that really that execute very well last week the fact the main challenge here is to you know to not sit too far back in the back field because they can find the short kicking space but if you’re too far up they can kick it over the head like what happened to to lster having had 5022 kicked from two two regular for a for a game like that so the balance in the fact that uh the ball flies a little bit further yes that that is challenging but um in my when I came back from Europe in 2013 I already brought a plan that was different than what the Way South Africans kicked anyway so I um I had that experience to you know to to be able to to help the players understand the the fact that the ball flies a little bit further um um Jak SP quite fun your days that sunc and the progression obious the becoming a spring and how sort of Coach you have your thoughts on I’m taking on Jake um and his technical sort of argument but at the same time how how sweet would it be for you as a s of St student to beat your master yeah look I I don’t see it that way I think Jake is done well and you know he’s been brave he’s he’s traveled the world also as a coach was it the brm is in Mont bler he’s he’s he’s he’s gone out um after he as as the World Cup coach he spent a lot of time educating coaches which means that he um you know he gets to understand more the way people thinks and work so obviously that suits him in the way that he’s um strategizing and the way he stands the game yes he obviously wealth of experience he can’t um um you know compare his experience with mine at the moment due to the fact that he’s absolutely been at the World Cup already and he’s he’s and he’s you know he’s well-renowned coach so um again uh they I always try to look at opportunities and and and to bring something to the table that that that’s anticipated or not and um so from that perspective you know I got to to to look at Jake in the last two years specifically when we were coaching against each other again now when he was with uh when he was uh when when he when Bulls came over um first time at this level was when I just joined the cheetas in 2013 he was coaching the sharks at that stage and we had a clear understanding already how I think you know he approaches every game so um yeah hopefully we’ve um learned enough but I mean again he’s a a St coach and his his his record the second to none Bronco obviously for Jake to have known you from when you were at school and I think being a technical technical Analyst at the box when you were there um this is obviously a guy you also know quite a quite a lot about what would you say is the sort of greatest Evolution that’s that keeps him relevant still today yeah the way um you know he adapts one first of all and the second thing is the way he surrounds him with people that uh that that has a different view or that can add value I think G Gold’s experience second to none as well we sometimes just look at the head coach he’s been brilliant um uh uh everybody in his coaching group has been involved for a long for a long time now with the bulls they understand the culture and and and since he’s arrived you know he’s he’s accumulated enough um enough of that experience um around them um and I mean that helps obviously um him to you know to to be ruthless in the way he approach everything he can be he can challenge everybody around him because of his experience but what makes him a good coach is that he he he’s he’s Keen to he evolves he understands what what it takes to to change with the culture of your team and then obviously the again like I like I said around the coaching group that he’s he’s gathered around them is all experienced guys and or people that’s been sitting in at the blue Bill’s home for a bit so that that continuity that he married with um some fresh blood is was very important you said earlier that you you’ve got an understanding of how he approaches a game obviously having coached against in the last two years how how does he approach the game shall I give the game plan as [Laughter] well of course the last time Glasgow took on the balls at this Stadium I think jqu said had the game gone on longer you guys might have probably won the game just the way that you finished is that has that influenced the way that you approach tomorrow you going to try to go with that same intensity if so then is Altitude then going to be a factor in the latter stages of the game especially in the in the final I think that was the hdle that we um got over here last time you know I’m going to honestly think the fact that say that the fact that we’ve we lifted intensity and you know the density of the game the second part um prove to our players that you know altitude is not that that we uh it doesn’t have that influence if you’re not going to allow it to you know and I think um the important thing here is we will make we’ve made less of the altitude it is there it is it will have probably effect but um again everybody gets tired is how quickly you can recover with that’s important and I think if you have a from that mental perspective and understanding that yes you will probably have no breath but you won’t die then that at least you know um helps you to push yourself a little bit further and Coach you you have a player in your ranks even though he’s not part of the squad a player in Cent Man Jersy who’s played two years under Jake white he’s been in finals under Jake white locally have you sort of picked his brain about how Jake white approaches these type of occasions he’s been here not too long ago is that someone that you spoken about to about the approach of Jake White and the current B setup um no I did not speak to cind around that um I just out of pure respect you know he’s coming this way um in a month’s time we’ll be back here with Jake and um he’s actually flying back now the 26th of June um he’s been a a excellent stward for us in the last two um Seasons that I was there unfortunately was um injured for a lot of times through unfortunate incident ENT um so no I thought um it it wasn’t necessary one two I didn’t want to put him in a position where he comes back here and he was the architect of of something that that that could that was not necessary so no I didn’t specifically asked him around Jake Franco ctly or named in the Bulls team which I guess is a bit of a surprise have you guys anticipated that and how does it change your planning that he’s now going to be in the in in the final oh the way the Bulls back three have played the whole season was part of our strategy and plan in preparation for this game so um it’s a different person in the same jersey with the same um attribute so no it it doesn’t affect what we do um I must say that uh I was surprised the to for him to be back after that injury so well done to the medical staff and and getting him back out there so quickly after that broken Joel and I and I suppose the same answer applies for for villo not being there how much of a loss do you think that is for the balls look it was excellent last week so I definitely think he he brought something different to the game his left foot is obviously something that he used very well when he gets on the ball um the way he you know gets Worth to the gives Worth to the game was was was was very important for them and I thought he was uh was really good last week so yeah um it’s not going to affect what we do but uh obviously I think it would have um you know be uh something that they would have talked about Fran Franco the last time we chatted about the altitude you said you guys went looked what skyrunners did Etc after last do you feel you’ve unlocked that key now I know you’ve said there one thing that you took out last but you think in the final that’s going to matter something yeah I think everybody’s going one gear up in a final I think uh question would be are you prepared to die in the final and uh I think um most of these players would say you know that’s what an opportunity so yes so hopefully um you know that that part of the game doesn’t come into our um minds or bodies I think we have a a 23 Man Group there with a specific plan um we like we’ve done it last last time around so um I’m going to I’m going to be honest to say that this week I don’t think the word altitude was to use the first time inside this room and last week against then the one of the things the Bulls did very well was um they drew the length the back three out of the 22 with kicking a bit shorter then try to kick over the heads I take it you probably expecting something similar this week yeah look or or not you know they can just as well go and say oh we would have prepped for this and they’ll kick over our head so um again like I explained before we’ve got to be adaptable we going to anticipate and um in our preparation we we cover all sorts of kicks and it’s and again hopefully from the experience that I’ve had here living here having played here and bluman is not far on too many meters lower than here um the ability to move the back three up and back without letting the ball bounce or to try and catch it out of the air as often as possible um that is obviously part of the was obviously part of the print this last one for me just um given your history and given all the your your time at the Bulls was there if if glasow were going to play a wave final anywhere else would you would it be L this yeah no i’ I’ve I’m excited that it’s here um regardless of what the outcome’s going to be and the results going to be um I love this challenge I love the fact that um you know the Lord just know I to work out things you know and that is that is fantastic um to come back here and and and and they have these guys that give these giving these guys the opportunity to you know to play here and experience it there there’s no better place to come and you know to to add something into your career and and and I I hope that the boys can tomorrow you know appreciate that after the game as well I think leading up to that we’re not going to give that much thought but uh no um it is it is good to be back at lters and and and it is the toughest challenge so good to be a part of it fru last week at um monster they had this little advertisement or poster out there that said you know Fin’s going to be next week I don’t know if it’s true if it really happened lot of people saying that it’s fake but if it was did you get any motivation from that and can you use any of that lesson that you learned there to to take the motivation from facing this crowd here you know it’s going to be a big atmosphere yeah I know obviously um that that motivated us I hope the Bulls didn’t have to cancel flights to Li as well that was would have been interesting but um no we uh um I mean we we didn’t never went there maybe people would have thought it’s Underdog we didn’t never feel felt like we were The Underdogs there we we had a I’ve got I’ve got so much trust and and that these players are striving to be the best they can be you know regardless of who’s in front of us and and that is the same approach yeah yeah that was with it was tongue in the cheek motivation but it didn’t really really affect until afterwards The Joy afterwards um was more that we took from that advertisement than anything else so um no the the this the things that happen off the pitch doesn’t really come into the change room but it was uh an error I suppose that um you know we enjoyed lot more than the Chang room afterwards
2 Comments
Go Glasgow
Franco is a fantastic coach and person