Victor Matfield has thrown cold water on the fiery rumors linking Springbok attack coach Tony Brown to a pre-2027 World Cup switch to the All Blacks. Despite the coaching upheaval in New Zealand following Scott Robertson's exit, Matfield firmly believes Brown is sticking with the Springboks until the world tournament's conclusion.
"The one thing I can tell you is you won't have Tony Brown," Matfield confidently declared on the Rugby Rivals podcast. Reinforcing this stance, Brown himself has snubbed any premature exit chatter, stating, "I don’t have an ‘out’ of my contract, so I’m back in South Africa [until the World Cup]." Springbok head honcho Rassie Erasmus also put his foot down, emphasizing that Brown is going nowhere.
"Maybe after the World Cup, you can pull him over, but Tony will stay with the Boks until the World Cup."
While Brown's immediate future seems cemented in South Africa, speculation continues about Jamie Joseph's potential takeover as All Blacks coach. Matfield weighed in with some insider info, noting some discontent among the Japanese players he spoke with. "One thing I must say is from the Japanese players, they weren’t too happy with Jamie Joseph at the end," he revealed, hinting at Joseph's stringent coaching style.
Despite these mixed reviews, former All Blacks wing John Kirwan sung praises of Joseph, touting his track record with underdog teams like Japan. "I really like Jamie, I think Jamie is a really top coach," Kirwan expressed, lamenting the potential missed opportunity of not pairing him with Brown.
"You can’t have someone before a World Cup join your greatest rivals,"
As for New Zealand Rugby, Matfield's advice was blunt: don't hold your breath for any special favors from SA Rugby. With Brown firmly in the Springboks' corner and Joseph's candidacy still up in the air, it seems the All Blacks might need to look elsewhere or gear up for a significant recruitment drive post-World Cup. Either way, the coaching carousel in international rugby continues to spin, with no shortage of drama and speculation.
2,193 posts
Victor Matfield has thrown cold water on the fiery rumors linking Springbok attack coach Tony Brown to a pre-2027 World Cup switch to the All Blacks. Despite the coaching upheaval in New Zealand following Scott Robertson's exit, Matfield firmly believes Brown is sticking with the Springboks until the world tournament's conclusion.
"The one thing I can tell you is you won't have Tony Brown," Matfield confidently declared on the Rugby Rivals podcast. Reinforcing this stance, Brown himself has snubbed any premature exit chatter, stating, "I don’t have an ‘out’ of my contract, so I’m back in South Africa [until the World Cup]." Springbok head honcho Rassie Erasmus also put his foot down, emphasizing that Brown is going nowhere.
"Maybe after the World Cup, you can pull him over, but Tony will stay with the Boks until the World Cup."
While Brown's immediate future seems cemented in South Africa, speculation continues about Jamie Joseph's potential takeover as All Blacks coach. Matfield weighed in with some insider info, noting some discontent among the Japanese players he spoke with. "One thing I must say is from the Japanese players, they weren’t too happy with Jamie Joseph at the end," he revealed, hinting at Joseph's stringent coaching style.
Despite these mixed reviews, former All Blacks wing John Kirwan sung praises of Joseph, touting his track record with underdog teams like Japan. "I really like Jamie, I think Jamie is a really top coach," Kirwan expressed, lamenting the potential missed opportunity of not pairing him with Brown.
"You can’t have someone before a World Cup join your greatest rivals,"
As for New Zealand Rugby, Matfield's advice was blunt: don't hold your breath for any special favors from SA Rugby. With Brown firmly in the Springboks' corner and Joseph's candidacy still up in the air, it seems the All Blacks might need to look elsewhere or gear up for a significant recruitment drive post-World Cup. Either way, the coaching carousel in international rugby continues to spin, with no shortage of drama and speculation.