Flattered Franco Smith comments on South Africa coaching job link but keeps focus on Glasgow Warriors

Franco Smith said it was “fantastic” to be linked with the vacant Springboks job but insisted his focus was on a successful end to the season with Glasgow Warriors.

Franco Smith's successful season with Glasgow Warriors has not gone unnoticed in his homeland. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

The Glasgow coach was capped nine times by South Africa between 1996 and 1999 and had a spell as Boks assistant coach in 2017-18. Reports in his homeland this week list him as a potential successor to Jacques Nienaber who will quit as South Africa head coach after the Rugby World Cup to take up a post with Leinster.

“For me, it is a compliment to be mentioned,” said Smith, 50, who has turned around Glasgow’s fortunes in his first year in charge. “I had a good experience with South Africa a few years ago but now my focus is what is happening here. It is a longer process but fantastic to be mentioned but for now I don’t want any distractions from what what we need to do here.”

Glasgow are challenging for honours on two fronts having reached the semi-finals of the European Challenge Cup and the quarter-finals of the URC. Smith’s work with the Warriors has not gone unnoticed. A poll conducted this week by SA Rugby magazine saw Smith finish fifth of 12 potential candidates for the Springboks job. Almost 10,000 took part and readers voted Johan Ackerman, head coach at Japanese club Red Hurricanes, as their favoured candidate, followed by Stormers coach John Dobson, South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, Boks assistant Mzwandile Stick and then Smith. Jake White, South Africa’s World Cup-winning coach in 2007, polled sixth, while Dave Rennie, the former Glasgow and Australia coach, came in 11th.