Tony Brown is heading home. The former All Black fly-half, who has spent the last four years as a key assistant coach under Rassie Erasmus with the Springboks, signed a two-year deal with New Zealand Rugby and will join the All Blacks as an assistant coach starting in 2028. The move was confirmed this week, and three Springboks legends had plenty to say about it.
Schalk Burger, Jean de Villiers, and Hanyani Shimange broke it all down on the Boks Unpacked podcast, and their reactions ranged from playful disappointment to genuine appreciation for how the whole thing went down.
De Villiers jokes he’s ‘disappointed’ in his old teammate
De Villiers, who played alongside Brown at the Stormers, said he was caught off guard by the timing. They saw Brown the night before the announcement went public, and the fly-half didn’t say a word about it.
“I’m very disappointed in him,” De Villiers said with a laugh. “Because we saw him the night before the announcement, and then the announcement was the following day.”
But the joking aside, De Villiers was clear that the transparency from Erasmus and Brown has been a good thing. No secrecy, no backroom drama. Just straight-up communication.
Burger: ‘New Zealand needs someone like Tony Brown back in the system’
Burger didn’t mince words. He said it was basically inevitable that Brown would end up back with the All Blacks. The guy has coaching experience from the Highlanders to Japan and spent time playing at the Sharks and Stormers. Then four years under Erasmus, building toward another World Cup run.
“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 another World Cup year,” Burger said. “And off the back of that, New Zealand needs someone like Tony Brown back in the system. It’s a great signing for them.”
Burger also saw the upside for South Africa. Brown is still around through the 2027 Rugby World Cup, so he’s not walking out the door tomorrow.
“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.”
The succession plan is already in motion
Erasmus has said he already has candidates in mind to replace Brown, and Burger thinks bringing someone in early to shadow Brown would be smart. The Boks have done this before. Jerry Flannery joined the group before the 2023 World Cup and was confirmed as defense coach right after the tournament.
“He’s someone whose integrity we value,” Burger said. “So the nice thing about this 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.”
Burger added that the timing of the announcement actually worked well. Better to get the news out now than have rumors swirling during a World Cup week in Australia.
The human side of the decision
De Villiers and Shimange both pointed out that this wasn’t just a professional move. It was personal. Brown has been commuting between New Zealand, South Africa, and the rest of the world. That kind of lifestyle wears on a family.
“It’s a family decision,” Burger said. “He’s commuting between New Zealand and the rest of the world, based in South Africa. You can only do that for so long.”
Shimange wrapped it up with a reminder that people don’t always see the sacrifice involved in coaching at that level.
“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.”
Brown will be missed, no question. But the Boks have a plan, and the All Blacks are getting a coach with serious pedigree.
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