George Smith to bow out of Super Rugby tonight GEORGE Smith is eyeing a fairytale ending to his Brumbies career in the Super Rugby final against the Chiefs in Hamilton tonight, but his coach Jake White is hoping the story continues. Smith, 33, is one of the greatest players in Brumbies history, having played in their two title-winning teams of 2001 and 2004. After a three-year absence from Super Rugby, Smith answered an SOS call from the Brumbies this year and has been instrumental in the team reaching the final for the first time in nine years. But Smith, who will return to his Japanese club Suntory, announced yesterday that the final would be his last Super Rugby game, setting a club record of 142 appearances. "I believe it is my last Super Rugby game," Smith said. To go out in a final will be magnificent. I'd love that to be the way I end my career with the Brumbies. I've had a great career with the Brumbies and the support I've had from the Brumbies community and the wider Canberra community has been fantastic. To leave this organisation with a win in a final would be fantastic. Smith's announcement seemed to catch White off-guard. "I'm just surprised because he said it was his last game," White said. We'll talk to him about that next week. He has obviously caught me unaware. One of the most decorated players in the history of the game, Smith will achieve another milestone tonight when he equals the record of George Gregan and Stephen Larkham of playing in five Super Rugby finals. "With Stephen Larkham and George Gregan, two legends of Brumbies rugby, Australian rugby and world rugby, to have five finals appearances is fantastic," Smith said. I think I've been very fortunate to be part of some really good teams. I've come back and I've got the opportunity to win another championship. Hopefully, it can be a fairytale. It would be fair to say the Brumbies would not be in the final without Smith, who was loaned to the team from Suntory as an injury replacement for backrower Ita Vaea. Smith made his comeback in the Brumbies' win over NSW in Canberra in round four, the same game in which Wallabies openside flanker David Pocock sustained a season-ending knee injury. He went from being a valuable addition to the team to a key component. While Smith has played superbly all season, receiving a recall to the Wallabies for the third and deciding Test against the British and Irish Lions, he has lifted for the playoffs, particularly his man- of-the-match performance in the Brumbies' upset win over the Bulls in Pretoria last Sunday. I've coached against George. I've coached George. He's got to be one of the greatest ever players," White said. It's just feel. He understands exactly what he is looking for. Sometimes you ask him how do you do that and you know it has got something to do with his gut feel. If I sum George up, last week was the biggest game the Brumbies have played and he was man-of-the-match at 27 and six years' experience. He doesn't want to say he is old, but at 33 he is man-of-the match in a semi-final when it really counts for the Brumbies in Pretoria in a big game like that. That probably epitomises George. Brumbies captain Ben Mowen said Smith's experience had helped him enormously in leading the young team to the final. "For me to have that sort of leadership with George in the team is awesome because he is a very special character to have in your side," Mowen said. Guys look to him for performance, but what is said most commonly about George is the type of person he is off the field. Because he is so relatable and such a cruisy bloke he does put guys at ease. The younger guys feel very comfortable hanging around George. They draw on his experience, but they also draw on how relaxed he is, which helps their mindset. To have a guy of that experience playing in his fifth grand final when basically all the squad is playing in their first is extremely relaxing for the guys. The mindset we want to set up this weekend is just cruise into the game because it has been a tough couple of weeks for us. Having a guy like that around will create that sort of mindset and will set us up for a good performance. Smith said he knew when the Brumbies beat the Sharks in South Africa that they were capable of competing for the title. "Our game against the Waratahs I knew there was something special there, but for me the Sharks, when we travelled and played extremely well, I thought there were things we could do that could surprise a few people," Smith said. There is a lot for this group to achieve and the players deserve a championship because of the hard work they have put in the past couple of seasons. Hopefully, we can play well tomorrow night. As always, Smith's play at the breakdown will be decisive. He will face two formidable Chiefs flankers in Tanerau Latimer and Liam Messam with Sam Cane coming off the bench. "It's a nice challenge to be up against those three," Smith said. Tanerau, I've played against many times in the past. He has always been a fantastic competitor. Sam Cane has an All Black cap and has played particularly well the last two seasons. And also Liam, a fantastic runner of the ball. He leads by example. We have a tough challenge in the back row, but there are other players in their team who are strike weapons as well. The respect is mutual. When asked by a New Zealand journalist what he thought of Smith, Latimer said: "He's the man, bro." One of Smith's only concerns about returning to the Brumbies this year was the possibility of tarnishing his reputation, but he will leave in the knowledge that his legacy remains intact. "I don't think I have harmed it in any way," Smith said. It was something I was tossing around when I decided to come back. I'm very happy with the way I played. In terms of me leaving a good legacy with the Brumbies, I think I have.