Springbok assistant coach Tony Brown remains fully focused on South Africa's 2027 World Cup campaign before heading home to join the All Blacks in 2028. Photo: Backpagepix
The news that Tony Brown is to join the All Blacks coaching staff in 2028 should not shock anyone, nor should it be greeted with suspicion or concern over a loss of Springbok intellectual property to the "Old Foe".
It was only four months ago that the mild-mannered Brown was at the centre of massive speculation that he would jump ship from the Springboks and join the coach who would replace the sacked Scott Robertson.
The latter was fired out of the blue, and while a replacement was being sought — it was between Jamie Joseph and the (successful) Dave Rennie — Brown was interviewed by the Otago Daily Times, the newspaper of his home town of Dunedin.
Brown was in New Zealand at the time because it was the Springboks’ off-season. The 18-cap All Black said he would love to coach his native country. Brown said that not long before Robertson was fired, Robertson asked him to jump ship from the Springboks and join his coaching staff.
