Tony Brown’s exit was ‘well handled’ as Schalk Burger highlights ‘positive side’ for Springboks
Springboks assistant coach Tony Brown and an inset of Schalk Burger
Former Springboks Schalk Burger, Jean de Villiers and Hanyani Shimange have reacted to Tony Brown’s exit from Rassie Erasmus’ coaching team after the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Brown has signed a two-year deal with New Zealand Rugby and will become an assistant coach for the All Blacks from 2028. The former fly-half has openly expressed his desire to coach his country but has stuck by his word, with Erasmus confirming that he didn’t attempt to get out of his SA Rugby contract.
Jean de Villiers ‘dissapointed’ by Tony Brown
The three former Springboks have now reacted to the news of Brown’s return to New Zealand, with De Villiers joking that he is disappointed with his former Stormers teammate, who was tight-lipped about his deal with NZ Rugby.
“I’m very disappointed in him,” the legendary centre said on the Boks Unpacked podcast. “Because we saw him the night before the announcement, and then the announcement was the following day.”
Meanwhile, ex-flanker Burger believes that Brown was always going link up with the All Blacks after his stint with the Springboks, adding that NZ Rugby needs a coach of his calibre.
“It was always going to be the case; they want that IP back,” Burger said.
“Not a lot of coaches have got the coaching experience that he has with the Highlanders to Japan, played at the Sharks and Stormers, now been under Rassie for the last four years, trying to go for, you know, another World Cup year. And off the back of that, New Zealand needs someone like Tony Brown back in the system, so it’s a great signing for them.
“On the positive side, we’ve still got him for the next year and a bit, so let’s send him off on a high.”
Rassie Erasmus’ verdict on Tony Brown’s Springboks exit: ‘We’ve made the mistake in the past’
De Villiers adds that it will be business as usual for the Springboks coaches building towards the Rugby World Cup and that there should be no concerns over a lack of collaboration between the coaches with Brown returning to New Zealand. Furthermore, he says that it is a positive that the move has already been confirmed.
“It’s easy to say, ‘What will they do now? Rassie won’t share anything because he’s too worried that he might take that to the All Blacks’. Rather be transparent than not knowing what the future holds – whether he will be there the following year or not, I think they’ll share as they would have shared in any other case. He’s professional enough to provide the value that he can provide,” he said, with Shimange adding, “I think business goes on.”
Schalk Burger on Springboks’ succession plan
Erasmus has stated that he already has potential candidates in mind to replace Brown in the coaching set-up and Burger believes that a successor could be brought into the group before his departure to learn from the former All Black.
This is something that the Springboks have done before, with Jerry Flannery linking up with the squad in the build-up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup and was confirmed as the team’s new defence coach after the tournament.
“He’s someone whose integrity we value,” Burger said. “So the nice thing about this as well is there is a succession plan that you can put in place; you can bring someone in that you think potentially can take over or learn from Tony Brown in the interim.
“I think it was well handled. It’s better that way, that there’s a rumour and the rumour sneaks around before the World Cup quarter-final week in Australia.”
Sacrifices people don’t see
De Villiers added: “They probably would have made the announcement within the group as well and say it is what it is. Tony probably would have said a couple of words from his side, and you know then it’s back to business – that’s what you get in the professional era. There is no doubt that he will be missed once he goes, and no doubt that he’ll add massive value to the All Black setup.”
And Burger saw the human side of the decision from Brown’s perspective.
“On top of that, it’s a family decision; he’s commuting between New Zealand and the rest of the world, based in South Africa. You can only do that for so long,” he said.
Shimange agreed, concluding the conversation by saying: “It’s sort of the sacrifice people don’t see when you’re away. Even with the URC coaches, once that season starts, you are away weekends, birthdays, Easter weekend; it’s a tough life.”
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