Rugby
Springbok attack remains a work in progress─── MORGAN PIEK 08:35 Wed, 13 Nov 2024
The Springbok attack coach Tony Brown believes that they are still far from the finished product as they have turned their attention to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Brown came into the coaching setup earlier in the year and his influence has been visible as the back-to-back World Champions are a far more dynamic team.
This week the Boks will face England in what will be a tough Test at the Home of English rugby in London.
The former All Blacks and Highlanders flyhalf Brown said it will remain a work in progress.
“I think for me it’s been a great six months from an attack point of view and we’ve made a lot of progress,” said Brown.
“The players are really buying into what I’m selling, I suppose, or what I’m trying to drive. The biggest thing for me about attacking with the Springboks is we’re still going to attack the way that the Springboks play the game, which is really physical.
“It’s on top of the game line, you know, it’s never ever going, I’m never ever going to come in and teach the Springboks to play like the All Blacks, for instance, so I’m going to teach the Springboks to attack like Springboks and I think we’re slowly understanding what that looks like and 100% come this time next year we’ve got to improve massive amount as well.
“So we’ve always got to keep evolving and luckily for myself, Rassie’s been giving me the opportunity to do that with the team. It’s a massive honour and there’s fantastic talent in this team, so it is encouraging for me to find ways to see how we can improve our game.
Quan Horn. Photo: Morgan Piek
“To try and create a better attacking style of play, which will hopefully put us in a position to become one of the best attacking teams in the world in the future.”
Brown added that it is challenging to prepare the team in time as they prepare to play on Sunday and this gives them only six days between Tests.
“It’s always tough with a short turnaround because you lose a training day, so the players need to adapt,” said Brown.
“That said, we are doing our best to ensure that they are fresh physically and mentally for the match.”
The eagerly anticipated Test between England and the Springboks at Twickenham kicks off on Saturday at 19:40.
