Former Cheetahs coach Franco Smith has officially been confirmed as Italy head coach on a permanent basis by the Italian rugby federation.

Smith had taken over as an interim head coach and coached Italy during the 2020 Six Nations after predecessor Conor O’Shea resigned to take up a role with the English RFU.

He will be assisted by Marius Goosen, with Giampiero De Carli in charge of forwards, Alessandro Troncon overseeing the backs, and Quintin Kruger and Giovanni Sanguin coordinating physical preparation.

The full details of Smith’s contract have yet to be revealed but according to reports, he will be in charge until after the 2023 World Cup in France.

Italy lost all three Six Nations games that Smith presided over – before the tournament was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic – but did run both Scotland (17-0) and France (35-22) close.

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