Attack coach Tony Brown happy with progress while ensuring the Boks stay true to their DNA

Bok doctor Jerome Mampane has reported a clean bill of health for the clash against England. (Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images)

By Craig Ray

12 Nov 2024

The Springboks’ attack is still a work in progress, but Tony Brown is satisfied with headway after six months.

It says a lot about the Springbok team that they still consider themselves some way from the finished article. That, despite a season in which they have won 82% of their Tests, claimed the 2024 Rugby Championship, the Freedom Cup, Mandela Shield and currently occupy the world’s No 1 ranking.

They’ve used 49 players this season as well, constantly chopping and changing the team to build depth for longer-term objectives such as the 2026 All Blacks tour to South Africa and Rugby World Cup 2027.

Manpower aside, the other major component of their development has been to sharpen their attack. With rock-solid set piece, kicking game and defensive foundations in place, coach Rassie Erasmus has made attack the priority project for the next few years.

Former All Black flyhalf Tony Brown has been tasked with unlocking the door to allow brilliant Bok players to unleash their full potential.

Within reason, Brown has been given a clean slate to rework the attacking plan in tandem with constantly tweaked laws and without giving up the Boks’ unique DNA.

Years ago, when Eddie Jones was in his prime as a coach, building a successful Brumbies team before keeping the Wallabies at the top of the world, he had a clear outlook of the game in that it was determined by different cultures.

boks cobus reinach Bok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach is a key member of the Boks’ developing attacking game. (Photo: Dirk Kotze / Gallo Images)

Jones believed that teams had to be “culturally sympathetic” to the players they had at their disposal and of the way they approached the game, to bring out their best.

That wasn’t to say traits couldn’t be borrowed from other teams, but underpinning every national team was a cultural identity that needed to be retained.

It’s fair to say the Boks have never lost that, and if anything, have grown that strength by including more of the country’s diverse cultures. But fundamentally, Springbok rugby is based on physicality, on winning collisions, defensive might and set-piece superiority.

Brown acknowledged this as the Boks prepared to meet England at Twickenham on 16 November.

“I’ve been with the Boks for six months and we’ve made a lot of progress on attack,” Brown said from the Boks’ west London base on Tuesday.

“The players are buying into what I’m selling; what I’m trying to drive I suppose. The biggest thing for me in this role is that we still have to attack around the way the Springboks play the game, which is really physical and on top of the gain line.

“I’m never going to teach the Springboks to play like the All Blacks. I’m going to teach the Springboks to attack like Springboks. We’re starting to understand what that looks like and this time next year we have got to have improved a massive amount.

“We have to keep evolving and Rassie has given me the freedom to help do that.

“There’s fantastic talent in this team, so it is encouraging for me to find ways to see how we can improve our game and try to create a better attacking style of play. That will hopefully put us in a position to become one of the best attacking teams in the world in future.”

Avoiding embarrassment?

While the attack remains a work in progress, what is more settled is the Boks’ ability to look forward and not backward.

They don’t dwell long on past accomplishments and they won’t take any ill-feeling into this weekend’s clash because of events last year.

The Boks aren’t talking about a grudge because of last year’s spiteful RWC 2023 semifinal clash, after which England flank Tom Curry accused Bok hooker Bongi Mbonambi of a racial slur.

Mbonambi was cleared, but the issue overshadowed the build-up to the RWC 2023 final. Curry will not play this week due to a concussion sustained during England’s 42-27 loss against Australia last week.

Bok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, who himself was the victim of terrible online abuse after the Boks beat France in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, confirmed the Boks had moved on.

They don’t want to be embarrassed by losing focus on issues irrelevant to the actual contest.

“If we get into that (last year’s controversy), it is going to take us away from the actual Test match,” Reinach, who has previously played for Northampton Saints, said.

“We need to focus on what is coming on Saturday and how to put our plan on the field. If we lose sight of what we want to do we might be embarrassed or unhappy with our performance.”

The Boks have had a short turnaround after beating Scotland 32-15 at Murrayfield on Sunday, which alters their preparation for the match.

As ever, that was factored into their planning and selections last week, with an eye to meeting England’s challenge this weekend.

boks england mampane Bok doctor Jerome Mampane has reported a clean bill of health for the clash against England. (Photo: Steve Haag Sports / Gallo Images)

“We did quite well actually, we came out of that one quite unscathed,” Bok team doctor Jerome Mampane said about the physical outcome of the Scotland Test.

“The theme we were looking at was a lot of freshness; freshness of the players around the 7-1 split.

“We were targeting good freshness and I think maybe from my perspective that’s what we planned together as a group and I think we achieved that.

“I wouldn’t say training is a little lighter this week – there are still targets that need to be met and the coaches are still as focused as ever.

“When you look at it medically and scientifically, you want good, fresh players. You want to go into each contest in the best shape you can be in.” DM

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Avoiding embarrassment?