Episode
Episode 172: Why Franco Smith Is the Coach Every Team Wants | Jamie Lyall
- Podcast
- The Lekker Rugby Pod!
- Published
- May 4, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3759
- Processing state
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Summary
Franco Smith has been calling himself a Dreamgiver for years. This conversation explains what that actually means.Jamie Lyall, who commentates for World Rugby and writes for RugbyPass, has watched Franco up close since 2022, when a teacher from the Free State arrived in Glasgow with no recruitment budget, inherited a staff, and started coaching scrum sessions he had never run before. Lyall unpacks what makes him different: a cultural intelligence that can hold Jack Dempsey and Sione Tuipulotu inside the same framework, and an ability to make players believe in something before they have any proof it works.The conversation also covers Glasgow's URC title run and that afternoon at Loftus, Franco's legacy at Italy, Kyle Steyn's place in world rugby, and an honest read on Gregor Townsend's record when the pressure is on.On this episode of the Lekker Rugby Pod, MW Welman sits down with rugby broadcaster and journalist Jamie Lyall.