Tony Brown: Springboks aiming to ‘live up to the standards’ against ‘very unpredictable’ Barbarians
Springboks attack coach Tony Brown.
Springboks attack coach Tony Brown revealed that the world champions will not underestimate the Barbarians when the sides meet in their Qatar Airways Cup clash in Cape Town on Saturday.
Although the match against the famous invitational team will not be afforded Test status, Brown made it clear that the Boks will approach the encounter with a Test-match mindset and will not view it as an exhibition game.
By taking that approach the four-time world champions are aiming to set the tone for the rest of their 2025 international campaign and are hoping to continue where they left off in 2024.
South Africa won 11 out of 13 Tests in last year – with both defeats being by one-point margins against Ireland and Argentina – and Brown said the Boks’ coaching staff believe the side is in a better place currently in terms of grasping what they want to achieve compared to the same stage last year.
The clash with the Baa-baas is a momentous one for the Boks as it will be the first time that these two teams collide on South African soil and it’s the first time they face each other since 2016.
‘An ideal test for us at the start of the season’
“It’s definitely a different challenge to that which we’ve faced in the past because they have toppled some top teams, so it will be an ideal test for us at the start of the season,” said Brown.
“For us, this is like a Test match, and this means we need to perform to the best of our ability, and our coaching structures have to be right, so that we can live up to the standards we would like to see from our team.”
When asked what the Boks will be expecting from the Barbarians, Brown replied: “They are renowned for their attacking rugby, and they are very unpredictable, so we have to be prepared for that and prepare as well as possible for the match.”
Meanwhile, South Africa’s current Rugby Player of the Year, Cheslin Kolbe, is looking forward to the challenge against the Barbarians.
“I haven’t played against them, but from what I’ve seen, they are a good team with a lot of experienced players, so it will be important for us to stay calm and prepare as well as we can,” he said.
Rain is predicted or Cape Town on Saturday and Brown feels it could influence the clash but said he is confident the Boks would be able to adapt if the match was played in wet weather conditions.
‘We feel we know what is expected of our players’
“It’s obviously tougher playing attacking rugby in the rain, but we are an adaptable team,” said the 50-year-old. “It might be tougher for the Barbarians given their style of play, but we feel we know what is expected of our players.”
Kolbe is enjoying being back in the Boks environment and is excited about the upcoming international campaign.
“It’s great to be back. We haven’t seen each other in six or seven months, so it was exciting to assemble as a group again,” he said.
“And then being in Cape Town is a home away from home for me, so it’s always great playing in the Mother City.”
The Springboks will continue their preparations for Saturday’s clash on Tuesday and Wednesday before having Thursday off to rest and recuperate. They will wrap up their on-field preparations for the match on Friday with their captains’ run.
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