Former Springbok Franco Smith has helped transform Scottish rugby from contenders to genuine contenders since taking over the reins at Glasgow Warriors.

Smith helped the Warriors to a maiden United Rugby Championship title and now those players will strut their stuff for the national team against the Springboks at Murrayfield on Sunday.

Smith admits he feels he has a foot in each camp.

He spoke most recently To the last drop podcast, where hosts Brenden Nel and Liam Del Carme also introduce the Springboks’ start in their end-of-year tour against Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.

There is a consensus that the Springboks will face stronger opposition than they faced against the same team at last year’s Rugby World Cup.

Scotland are capable of beating formidable opposition but are looking for consistency. The Springboks represent the first big scalp to cross their path this season.

Franco Smith, the head coach of URC-winning Glasgow Warriors, hopes Scotland will get a better handle on it.

Also in this episode, author and expert Pete Burns shares his thoughts in preparation for the game. Listen at the top of the page or directly below.

Meanwhile, SA Rugby chief executive Rian Oberholzer was on the hot seat in the latest episode of To the last drop.

Hosts Brenden Nel and Liam Del Carme asked the veteran rugby administrator wide-ranging questions, particularly about SA Rugby’s much publicized deal with Ackerley Sports Group (ASG).

Oberholzer reiterated SA Rugby’s need for an equity deal and explained why ASG is their preferred bidder.

Oberholzer also revealed what SA’s competition structure could look like if all the balls in the air fell into place and why the country can’t afford to have just four professional teams. Listen below.

About the hosts of the “To The Last Drop” podcast.

Liam Del Carmen

Liam is one of the most enduring sports writers in the country. His time in the newsroom predates rugby turning professional in the 1990s. Del Carme has worked for The Argus, Sunday Independent, This Day and Beeld, and is currently rugby writer at
The Sunday Times.

Del Carme has appeared in six Rugby World Cups and around 20 Currie Cup finals.

He enjoys cooking and traveling and is the author of the book “WINGING IT – On tour with the Boks‘. When time permits, he is a television pundit and writes a regular column on timeslive.co.za under the title “The Worst of Times”.

Brenden Nel

Rugby has always been a passion for Brenden, so much so that he has turned it into a career. Since first joining the Citizen newsroom nearly three decades ago, he has written for some of the world’s biggest titles, including Rapport, The Independent (UK), The Times (UK), South China Morning Post and a host of others. . He currently covers all things rugby for Supersport.com and has reported on no less than four World Cups, five World Cups out of seven and around 250 test matches in total.

Brenden is also the author of “Derick Hougaard – Dieware story van Loftus se Liefling” and has a popular YouTube channel under his name. There’s nothing he loves more when he’s away from the game than a good glass of red wine, a good fire, and spending time with his wife and four rescue dogs.