Cheetahs' defensive silver lining
Having been run ragged by the Bulls at home last week Smith placed a big focus on defence, and the results were clear to see as they managed to keep hosts Western Province from scoring a try in what were admittedly terrible conditions.
Although there was little for the supporters to get excited about in the slugfest at Newlands, Smith said that he takes plenty of heart from the guts his side showed on defence.
"After last week's performance we made a commitment that we will never defend like that again.
"Conditions apart I think we showed some very good integrity come defence time so I am happy to say that we will take some positives from the game, there was good linespeed on defence and that is what we needed at this stage – a bit of confidence and belief in what we are doing.
"Defence has got a lot to do with confidence and belief, and trust in your fellow player.
"We played 30 minutes without everyone on the field and that compliments the defensive effort and the guts the guys showed," he said.
Smith has said that he wants the Cheetahs to play an expansive running game under his watch, which was obviously not possible, but he said that it was valuable to learn to adapt to the conditions.
"The experience today to play here at Newlands in these conditions is something that we will embrace.
"Obviously we want to play with the ball in hand, but game knowledge is also important. This game gave us the opportunity to know when to run the ball and when to kick it, to make better decisions.
"Both teams wanted to play more of a spectacular game with the ball in hand, we are both try-scoring teams and there is no doubt in my mind that is the way forward, to play a brand that everyone wants to see," he said.
