The vastly-experienced Gert Smal will join Western Province Rugby as the new Director of Rugby, with effect from April 1, 2014.
WP Media Release
Smal, a former two-times Absa Currie Cup-winning coach with DHL Western Province, will return to the Cape after some time away, having served as the Springbok assistant coach between 2003 and 2007 and holding down the same role with the Ireland national team from 2008 to 2013.
During his time with the Springboks, Smal helped the Men in Green & Gold to a Tri-Nations title in 2004 and a World Cup triumph in 2007. As part of the Ireland coaching set-up, Smal played an integral part in their 2009 Six Nations, Grand Slam and Triple Crown triumphs, whilst he also helped mastermind a 15-10 win over the Boks in Dublin later that year.
Smal’s role at WP Rugby will see him head up rugby matters across the union, with the senior professional coaches, junior professional coaches and WP Rugby Institute management team all reporting in to him.
He will be based at the WP Rugby High Performance Centre in Bellville, helping with the ethos and strategy of WP Rugby’s teams and being responsible for the contracting and recruitment throughout the union – from the junior ranks right through to the senior ranks.
A crucial part of Smal’s job will also see him manage the process of the junior players taking the step up into fully-fledged senior professionals – all of which is geared towards ensuring that WP Rugby remains a leading brand with its teams continuing to push for trophies and players continuing to earn national colours.
Smal is well known to everyone at WP Rugby, as a player and a coach. His role is not a hands-on coaching one, but a position that will encompass the strategic rugby role from the junior teams straight through to the senior professional outfits.
No foreign team has won in SA so far this season. The Stormers need to maintain that record.
@Clovis, true, we are in the same boat as the Sharks and Lions, unbeaten at home and haven’t win away
Nee wat, vir die Stormers om enige plek te kom die jaar is net so own moontlik soos om van onder die SuperBru log in die top 3 te eindig van hier af
@GBS and Kaki
I also miss Skop at times, he was a character of note, a sort of reverse Nostradamus if you will, the master of hindsight.
If the WP Union had appointed him instead of Gert we would now have 50 players in each position who could have done a better job than the ones who lost each previous week..
That is in all positions instead of hooker, Deon is more than enough for the nr. 2 jersey.
If Skoppie were coach, the half time interview with Owen would come with an age restriction warning sensitive viewers about language and violence
@ kaksioek:
If you give us Barry as a ref, I’m sure we will. 😉
kaksioek wrote:
Clovis wrote:
Aai Nama, dit was op die punt van my tong om te gevra het of ons vir Peyper, Lourens en Berry by die Sharks an Leeus mag leen, toe dog ek, nee los dit eerder. Toe noem jy dit
@ Clovis:
@ nortierd:
Well, you have Glen Jackson – so there’s your excuse. I guess it’s just not the Stormers’ year.
@ nortierd:
If Skoppie did half-time talks they would have to reduce total playing time to about 40 minutes … and Stormers games would be more popular (in a “watching a train wreck through your fingers” type of way) than ever.
@ nortierd:
Hahaha…we’ll probably need all the help we can get.
@ kaksioek:
Glen “Penalty Try” Jackson? How is he on our side?
@ Clovis:
He isn’t, commiserations.
97 @ Clovis:
Welcome to this site boet. If I think who you are from keo its really great to see you this side.
Gert Small willl be great for WP/Stormers. The best thIng they have done in years is to get hIm back.
Well done to Stormers for siigning Du Preez. That is a huge loss for Sharks as I rate him highly as a flyhalf better than Swiel I feel. So we get Sweil anD they get our star under 21 Flyhalf. Sharks should have thoght about keeping him than getting Swiel.
100 @ Puma:
Meant = signing
100 @ Puma:
Another error there. Damn I make too many of them…hahaha
Should read = thought
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