Glasgow Warriors coach Franco Smith described winning at Loftus Versfeld as the “toughest challenge” his side could face in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
The Warriors will face off with the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday in the Grand Final, bringing Smith back to the venue where he became a Springbok and played some of his best rugby as a player, and where he has had success before as a coach.
And heading back to Loftus for a final has been deeply emotional for Smith, who still feels an affinity for Loftus that few other coaches do.
He described a moment when he was playing for the Springboks against the All Blacks that still sits with him now, and underlined how special the stadium was for him.
'I don't think what we did last week will be enough to beat the Bulls here' ❌
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) June 21, 2024
Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith warns his side that they must 'step up' if they are to win Saturday's URC Grand Final 🏉#BBCRugby pic.twitter.com/kmVUeqPA9M
“Yeah look it was Super Rugby back in the day and so much has changed since then. It has been fantastic 25 years ago and I remember I had a one on one with Alama Ieremia in the top right corner and 10 metres from the tryline and as I tackled him over the tryline, the way Loftus reacted to that was always special.
“It is good to come back here and experience that again.”
Smith said that of all the venues he could have played an away final in with his side, Loftus was the most special, and remained the “toughest challenge”.
“I’m excited that it is here, regardless of what the outcome will be. I love this challenge, I love this place. The Lord knows how to work out things. To come back here and give these guys the opportunity to experience it and play it, there is no better place to add something to your career. I hope the boys can appreciate it, after the game as well.
“Leading up to it, we won’t give it that much thought but it good to be back at Loftus, it is the toughest challenge.”
While a full Loftus Versfeld will definitely favour the Bulls, Smith said his side were not going to be influenced by the partisan crowd.
“We experienced quite a hostile group in Bayonne and in Munster last week. I don’t see the Loftus crowd as hostile as much as they are enthusiastic. There isn’t so much negativity around them. We’ve experienced the “super silence” for the goalkicker at Munster but here we will obviously experience something different. We have prepared for that.
“We should not at this level be influenced by something we can’t control.”
And he had one question for his players going into the game - were they prepared to “die in a final” - underlining the importance of giving it all in a game that will determine the season’s winner. And Smith said that altitude has not been a factor in preparations, especially after the side’s late rally to run the Bulls close a few weeks back in a league game.
“Everyone is going one leg up in a final. But the question is are you prepared to die in a final? I think most of these players will say yes, what an opportunity. Hopefully that part of the game doesn’t come into our minds and bodies, and we have a 23-man group there with a specific plan.
“I’m honestly saying that the word altitude has not been used outside this room.”
The match kicks off at 6pm
Glasgow Warriors: Josh McKay, Sebastian Cancelliere, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Kyle Steyn
(CAPT), Tom Jordan, George Horne, Jack Dempsey, Rory Darge, Matt Fagerson, Richie Gray, Scott Cummings, Zander Fagerson, Johnny Matthews, Jamie Bhatti
Replacements: George Turner, Nathan McBeth, Oli Kebble, Max Williamson, Euan Ferrie, Henco Venter, Jamie Dobie, Duncan Weir