Former All Blacks scrumhalf Justin Marshall has admitted he was surprised by Tony Brown’s decision to leave the Springboks and return to New Zealand after the 2027 World Cup.
New Zealand Rugby confirmed that Brown has signed a two-year deal to join the All Blacks coaching team from 2028.
The former All Blacks flyhalf is currently contracted as the Springboks’ attack coach and has become a key figure in South Africa’s coaching set-up since joining Rassie Erasmus’ management team in 2024.
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Brown’s arrival coincided with a noticeable evolution in the Springboks’ attacking game, helping the world champions claim back-to-back Rugby Championship titles and an unbeaten end-of-year tour.
While Erasmus has previously indicated that he wanted Brown to remain involved beyond the World Cup, the 51-year-old has never hidden his ambition to one day coach his home country.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast, Marshall said the announcement caught him off guard.
“I think it’s great,” said Marshall.
“I know Brownie really well and I see him often because the All Blacks have been playing in South Africa. I know that he’s really happy in his role over there, so that news was surprising to me because I know how much he enjoys what he’s doing now.”
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Marshall said Brown had repeatedly spoken about how much he enjoys working alongside Erasmus.
“The thing he actually said to me was how much he enjoys coaching with Rassie,” Marshall revealed.
“‘The guy just enables me to be myself and he doesn’t demand anything.’
“You look at Rassie from the outside and think he’d probably be a pretty hard guy to work alongside, but that’s not the case. Brownie reinforced that to me.”
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Marshall believes the healthy environment created within the Springbok coaching group makes Brown’s decision all the more surprising.
“Everybody wants a healthy environment to work in,” he said.
“If you’ve got that, then you’re functioning at your best and getting the best out of the people around you. So the fact that Brownie wants to move on when I know how happy he is, is news to me.”
Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
The post Marshall stunned by Brown’s Bok exit appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former All Blacks scrumhalf Justin Marshall has admitted he was surprised by Tony Brown’s decision to leave the Springboks and return to New Zealand after the 2027 World Cup.
The post Marshall stunned by Brown’s Bok exit appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
