Chris Smith relishes reunion with Morné Steyn as Lions eye URC turnaround against Benetton

Lions flyhalf Chris Smith has enjoyed linking up with former Springbok star Morné Steyn after returning to South Africa this season.

Former Bulls flyhalf Smith joined the Lions in the off-season for their United Rugby Championship campaign and started his first match in the narrow 22-20 defeat against Zebre Parma on Sunday.

Smith, who left the Bulls two seasons ago for French club Oyonnax, missed their opening match against Cardiff after suffering a head knock in the Currie Cup final against Griquas. But he was back in the No 10 jersey against Zebre, who won the match late on after a much-improved performance from the Joburg side.

Smith has been working closely with Bok legend Steyn, who, as an assistant coach for the Lions, has been far more open in sharing some of the secrets of the trade.

“I love Morné. I had a really good relationship with him at the Bulls. Back then he didn’t give me all his tricks because we were competing with each other, but now he is starting to feed me more information and teach me the tricks of the trade,” Smith joked at a press briefing from Italy this week.

“What an awesome guy. I’ve really enjoyed reuniting with him, and hopefully we can keep on building.”

Smith is likely to remain at flyhalf for this weekend’s clash against Benetton in Treviso. For him, the assignment is clear — he needs to be the driver of the Lions’ game plan and the player who brings their exciting backs into the game.

The Lions have been looking for someone to dictate play, and he hopes — with more time on the park — that he can be the man to get them back to winning ways after two defeats at the start of the campaign.

“I’ve really enjoyed joining the Lions. We’ve got really exciting backs, and we have young, athletic, fast and dynamic forwards,” said Smith.

“Being the link and driving them, serving them and giving them the opportunity to express themselves is the main goal. I’m here to serve and drive the team in a direction that lets them play their natural game and deliver the exciting brand that we all know we can produce.”

Despite their opening defeats, Smith said the mood in the camp remains upbeat. He also mentioned that there is still a lot of rugby to be played in the URC and that they are focused on turning things around.

“The mood is good; there’s a really positive mindset in the group. It’s been a great tour for connecting and enjoying each other’s company. The results haven’t gone our way, and we are extremely disappointed about that, but the beauty of this tournament is that we have another opportunity this week,” said Smith.

“It doesn’t get any easier — Benetton are a quality team, and we know what lies ahead this week. But we are all positive and looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“It’s not an easy competition, and the reality is that winning away from home is hard. It’s not easy — you don’t just go away and pick up a victory.

“We know that we need to be better. We are creating good pictures, which has obviously kept our group positive. We are close, and we will get there.

“Hopefully this weekend is that turning point and we can start building momentum.”