CRAIG RAY, Cape Town | Wednesday 3.00pm.
New Western Province coach Gert Smal is has made it clear that he needs a strong management team around him to ensure that the winning ways return to Newlands.
“The whole system needs to be looked at as a matter of urgency,” said Smal.
“We know where we want to go as a union and I intend to put the right structures into place to achieve this goal.
WP finished a lowly 11th on the Currie Cup log in 1999, which for a union of their stature and reputation was the worst in their history.
Smal is a former Springbok and long time servant of WP rugby and his new approach may be just the tonic the ailing team needs.
“It is vital to get people around me with integrity and good channels of communication,” Smal said. “I need to be able to trust my team and that is not negotiable.
“What makes a successful team are the three lines of communication. The first is the communication between player and coach, the second between coach and union and the third between player and union. It is up to me to make sure that it happens.”
Smal has been given a two-year contract and replaces the current Springbok assistant coach Alan Solomons who is unable to fulfil the role due to a South African Rugby Football Union (Sarfu) decision that no national coaches may coach provincial teams.
The former Western Province player has been involved in coaching for six years, but his emergence into a senior coaching position came by the way of the Springboks when he acted as assistant to Carel du Plessis during the unsuccessful 1997 season.
“I’ve come through quite a detour to get back here,” Smal said. “I am a richer and better coach than I was six years ago.
“After leaving the Springbok setup I went through a difficult time. The only coaching post available was the Border position, which was a real test of my character.
“Border probably had the smallest budget in South African rugby and there were no funds to bring in players when there were a series of injuries.
“Generally we were pretty successful and I want to try and create that spirit here.”
The final group of contracted players to the WP squad will only be finalised later in the year.
“Gert will look at a pool of players from the members who played for us last season to current club players,” said WP Promotions chief executive Rob Wagner.
“He will have to contract the players he sees fit within certain budget constraints of course.”
All the current Springbok players from WP have been offered new contracts and the rest will be evaluated before the new season starts.
The new Cape season will begin on February 26 2000 when the Stormers play New South Wales in the Super 12 at Newlands. — MWP