Red-misted Roos must not lose his passion, says Smit: 'That aggression is because he's driven'

Former Springbok captain John Smit says combative Stormers loose forward Evan Roos should not lose his aggression, which fuels his passion, but find ways to channel it better on the park.

The No 8 was yellow-carded for an unnecessary elbow to his opposite number Nick Haining's neck in the Stormers’ 34-18 win over Edinburgh in Cape Town during a cleanout last weekend.

Roos also plays with a full-blooded aggressive style that makes him thrive in contact and break the gain-line almost at will, especially when he gets a gallop.

Evan Roos Yellow Card ?? #URC pic.twitter.com/5aKfewrgem

It's this conundrum that Smit tried to detangle: how does one tone down the very ingredient that makes Roos an outstanding player - in fact, the most outstanding player of the inaugural United Rugby Championship (URC) season - without compromising the player's qualities?

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Smit referenced Springbok enforcer Eben Etzebeth as the best example of an aggressive player who skirts the legal limit but never crosses the line.

"What Roos' got to be able to do is find some kind of way to control that emotion," said Smit during a URC roundtable discussion.

"Players in the modern game get away with absolutely nothing. The most aggressive thing we'll see is somebody grabbing a collar and looking really angry.

"That's about as tough as it gets. Eben (Etzebeth) is a guy that started in the older era and came through and he gets the angry eyes but seems to be able to control it to the point where it doesn't get him or his team into trouble.

"Evan can't lose that passion. He has to somehow know how to bottle it. You don't want to tamper with his enthusiasm but you also have to