Rassie Erasmus posts cryptic message on Tony Brown’s All Blacks speculation

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has posted a cryptic message on social media following speculation linking his assistant Tony Brown with a move to the All Blacks.

The rumour mill has been in overdrive in recent days after Scott Robertson stood down as All Blacks coach two years into a four-year contract, following a scathing review that found multiple frailties within the team and reports of player unrest.

Jamie Joseph has emerged as the front-runner to replace Robertson, but should he get the job, it’s likely he would want fellow former All Black Brown by his side due to their strong connection.

The pair coached the Highlanders to Super Rugby glory in 2015, also coaching Japanese expansion side the Sunwolves and more recently the Japan national team at the 2023 World Cup.

Brown is currently contracted to the Springboks through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup, meaning New Zealand Rugby (NZR) would need to negotiate him out of a deal to get him, or wait until after the tournament in Australia.

However, Erasmus has seemingly shut the door on it – even if he’s done it via an artificial intelligence-generated (AI) meme from The Wolf of Wall Street movie, posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“Today is a great day!! Sleep Lekka,” Erasmus tweeted, with a photo of Brown’s face edited on Leonardo DiCaprio’s body with the caption “I’m not leaving”.

Today is a great day!! Sleep Lekka 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/VemZz5h4T9

— Johan Erasmus (@RassieRugby) January 17, 2026

Some more confirmatiom.
Sleep.dream and wake up with a smile = Content pic.twitter.com/G55Kf7hOsj

— Johan Erasmus (@RassieRugby) January 17, 2026

He then doubled down with an AI-generated video which had Brown saying “I’m not f***ing leaving” in a Kiwi accent.

Brown has admitted in the past he has twice rejected the advances of NZR, who wanted him to join the Ian Foster and Robertson coaching staffs, but if Joseph gets the job, that could change his mind.

Last month, Erasmus re-signed to stay on as Springboks coach until the end of the 2031 Rugby World Cup.

When SA Rugby made the announcement, it added that: “An announcement on the contract negotiations with other members of the Springbok coaching team will be made in due course”.

There has been lots of public support for Joseph to take the reins as All Blacks coach, including from former player and Sky Sport pundit Jeff Wilson.

“For me, the logical choice is Jamie Joseph,” Wilson told Newstalk ZB. “He went head‑to‑head with Scott Robertson last time and, to my understanding, came close. Jamie Joseph is the obvious man.”

Joseph is set to coach the Highlanders in the upcoming Super Rugby Pacific season, while other names linked to the job include Dave Rennie, Robbie Deans and Sir Steve Hansen.

The All Blacks are set to tour South Africa in 2026, where they will face their United Rugby Championship sides and play four tests against the Springboks.

Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.