Springboks prepared for Tony Brown’s All Blacks return as Rassie Erasmus holds no grudges: ‘We can’t be angry’
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and an inset of assistant coach Tony Brown.
Rassie Erasmus says that the Springboks already have a few candidates in mind to replace Tony Brown, who will join the All Blacks after the Rugby World Cup.
New Zealand Rugby announced earlier this week that Brown had signed a two-year deal to become the All Blacks assistant coach after the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
The former fly-half joined Erasmus’ Springboks coaching team in 2024, signing through to the conclusion of the World Cup cycle, and while SA Rugby and Erasmus were eager to extend his deal through to USA 2031, the lure of the All Blacks was too great for the attack guru to resist.
Rassie Erasmus: We have replacements in mind for Tony Brown
Speaking to the media from the Springboks training camp ahead of the Gqeberha double-header next week, the head coach said that Brown spoke openly about his desire to coach New Zealand and that he was happy for him.
“I’ve rated him for a long time; we go a long way back, we are great friends,” Erasmus began when asked about Brown’s decision.
“People will judge Tony for wanting to go back to New Zealand, but we are really, really happy for him. To go back home and coach the All Blacks, having played for the All Blacks, you can’t be angry at the guy. He has spoken openly about it from the start, saying ‘I’ve signed a four-year deal here and if the All Blacks come, I can’t say no’.
“He has always been upfront about it that if he gets the opportunity to go back and coach the All Blacks, he would want to take it.”
The head coach adds that the Springboks coaches and players have learnt a lot from Brown during his two years with the squad and that in turn, the former All Black has learnt a lot too.
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Brown’s openness means that SA Rugby weren’t going to be caught off guard by his decision to return to New Zealand, and Erasmus says he already has a few coaches in mind.
“We have a few guys in mind on who could replace Tony,” he said.
“We’re happy that we still have him for two years. We still want to learn a lot from him, and we are very happy for him.”
Future of the Bok assistant coaches
Meanwhile, SA Rugby are yet to confirm the futures of the rest of Erasmus’ coaching team after the head coach re-signed through to the next World Cup. It is understood that Erasmus hopes to retain the services of all of his current staff for the same length of time.
The Boks boss has also stated that he is keen for the future of his assistants to be decided before the end of the year as he doesn’t want their contracts to distract them from the task at hand – winning the Rugby World Cup.
“We’ve made the mistake in the past of negotiating contracts in a RWC year, and this clarity will allow us all to go full steam ahead with our preparations for this and next season,” Erasmus said in the SA Rugby statement confirming Brown’s return to New Zealand.
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