Stormers seek attacking coach

23 November 2015 - 02:09 By Craig Ray

Western Province director of rugby Gert Smal expects whoever succeeds Eddie Jones as Stormers coach to bring the same attacking philosophy to the game. Smal has made his criteria simple - six years as a Super rugby coach with international experience and someone who wants to emphasise attack.Given Smal's criteria, there are only a handful of coaches that fit the bill. John Mitchell - the former All Blacks, Western Force and Lions coach - is one. Robbie Deans - who coached the Crusaders and Wallabies - is another."A lot is in place here at WP already," Smal said.Jones had already drafted a detailed training blueprint and the Stormers are set to continue working from it."To create the situations we want in attack, we need our defence to be more aggressive," Jones said before he left. "We want to get people on the ground as quickly as possible, and if that means through chop tackling or some other way, we will work it out."The Stormers will have a big forward pack but small backs, so they'll also need the forwards to develop a range of skills to play the style of rugby we're looking for. They are essential linking players, who have to be able to attack space in different ways."As a ball carrier you need to have options and you have to be able to execute those options. So, having options in place comes down to support players knowing their roles. The execution of those options comes down to skill levels," he said...

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