The Gautrain rattles through about half a dozen stops on the way from Sandton in Johannesburg to Hatfield in Pretoria from where it’s about a 15-minute Uber journey to the hotel that houses the Springboks.
A sizeable South African media contingent has gathered – there are a couple of Irish interlopers – to hear South Africa’s new attack coach Tony Brown give a first interview. The New Zealander is one of the sport’s brightest minds when it comes to the creative side of the game.
A former All Blacks outhalf, he spent time in South Africa as a player, during which time he was coached by Rassie Erasmus at the Stormers, and it was that friendship and respect that encouraged Brown to swap his coaching role with Japan for that of the Springboks.
He is one of the “newbies” in the South African coaching axis, another his “roomie,” former Ireland and Munster hooker Jerry Flannery, with whom he’s struck up a solid bond. He explained: “He’s [Flannery] my roommate. That’s been interesting.
“We have bonded, hanging out together for the last eight weeks. When the players go home, he is my wife, and I am his wife; we go out to dinner and hold hands and things like that,” he laughed.
“No, what I have noticed is that he is a fantastic coach. He coaches the game very well and he coaches it with some real intensity, which is ideal for a defence coach. Yes, he knows a lot about Ireland. I can’t tell you what he has been telling the boys, but he’s definitely got an insight into their mentality and mindset.”
Brown was Japan’s backs’ coach when they beat Ireland in the 2019 World Cup. What differences has he seen from now to then? “I think in 2019 they had an ageing team and a few injuries,” he explained: “Johnny Sexton was injured, Rob Kearney was injured, a few of their key players weren’t at the top of their game.
“I feel like they’ve sort of rectified those problems. [Jamison] Gibson-Park’s been massive for them as a number nine. He plays the game faster than Conor Murray, so that’s allowed Ireland to be quite dominant and play the game at speed.
“Johnny Sexton, who was probably Ireland’s greatest player, retiring after the World Cup, he’s left a massive hole for Ireland. I think the young boy, [Jack] Crowley, has done a fantastic job. He’s filled in, been really dominant [during] the Six Nations. He’s looked like a fantastic rugby player for Munster, and he doesn’t seem to be nervous on the field at all. So, I think he’s fit in very nicely.”
As a relative newcomer to the implied and overt rivalry between South Africa and Ireland, Brown was asked for his take on the topic. “Ireland have been playing some good rugby for a number of years now and South Africa have won the last two World Cups.
“Ireland probably feels that they should have got more out of their World Cups. So it’s created this ‘who is number one in the world?’ I guess both teams think that, and it has created a bit of media stuff. It is good for you guys. Get some ex-players to throw a few shots, it adds a bit of entertainment leading up to what is going to be a massive Test match.
“As a rugby player you want to play in the biggest matches. I have always wanted to be a rugby coach and I wanted to coach in the biggest matches. This weekend is a huge occasion, Loftus is very intimidating, an amazing ground to play at, to be at, and Ireland obviously one of the better teams in the world. It is going to be a great challenge and I just want to be involved, coaching South Africa against the best teams.”
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