Springboks assistant coach Tony Brown has called New Zealand Rugby’s decision to part ways with coach Scott Robertson “bizarre” and revealed he had talks to join the coaching team last year but remains committed to his role in South Africa.
Talking on Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking Breakfast, Brown said he would have been keen on applying for the role but his contract with the Springboks runs until 2027.
“Pretty bizarre. You know, the timing around what’s happened and no sort of plan going forward and my name getting thrown in there plenty, but no one’s really talked to me, so I’ve always just been going back to South Africa to finish my contract,” Brown said.
Brown said if he wasn’t committed to his Springboks role he would be keen to apply for the All Blacks job, adding he was approached by Robertson last year to join the coaching team.
“100%. I would have,” he said. “Two years ago as well, and in the future, it’s definitely something I want to do. Just timing hasn’t worked. My commitment to South Africa was four years and I’ve always had the plan to honour that commitment.
“Very frustrating. I’ve even talked to Razor a couple months ago about potentially joining the All Blacks, but it’s like I said to him, it’s my commitment to South Africa was four years and I’ve always wanted to honour that and I said I’m just so frustrated that no one talked to me two years ago. But that’s rugby and that’s coaching. He had his coaches and I just had to go and find another job.
“It was definitely the Scott Robertson’s team versus Jamie Joseph’s team that the process that New Zealand Rugby set up. So I think with me being with Jamie, then Scott potentially didn’t want to take me as well. He had quality coaches in Jason Holland and Leon MacDonald, Scott Hansen with him and Jason Ryan, so they had a strong coaching team. Jamie put his team together and I was part of that and New Zealand Rugby Union [sic] went with Scott, which you know, 100% he probably deserved the job with his success.
“So it was just the way it was and then I was stuck either looking at going back to Japan, there’s a little opportunity with Argentina and then Rassie gave me a call around South Africa. I played under Rassie for the Stormers and knew him as a coach and thought I actually knew that he’d obviously done some amazing things with South Africa over the last two World Cups and I just thought oh well, what an opportunity to go and learn off him.”
Brown was critical of how New Zealand Rugby (NZR) handled both the hiring and departure of Robertson.
“Everyone says leadership starts from the top and I suppose New Zealand Rugby Union [sic] have got to show the way there, and then I’m not sure about what happened within the All Black environment.
“They didn’t seem as though they were playing overly poorly. There’s a few up and down results, but they seemed like they were tracking okay and to then just pull stumps and get rid of the head coach has put them in a pretty massive situation around getting ready for 2026, which is going to be a massive year not only for the All Blacks, but for world rugby in as a whole with the new championship that they’re running.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for someone, the next coach who’s coming in, whoever that may be. I think the players will be probably excited about starting again and seeing what they can do, building into 2027 World Cup.
“I think the coach is going to have a little bit of a clean canvas and be able to do some pretty cool things around getting the All Blacks not only through the rugby rivalry in end-of-year tour, but getting them ready to have a crack at the World Cup.”
Brown was part of a successful partnership at the Highlanders with Jamie Joseph and there had been speculation the pair could reunite to lead the All Blacks.
With Brown as an assistant, South Africa handed the All Blacks their heaviest home defeat on record – a 43-10 thrashing in Wellington last September. The two sides will square off four times in 2026 as New Zealand embark on a seven-game tour of the Republic.
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus on Tuesday posted a meme on social media featuring an image of Brown and the words “I’m not leaving”.
Brown has previously said he has twice rejected the advances of NZR, who wanted him to join the Ian Foster and Robertson coaching staffs.
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.
Former Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan has already ruled himself out of joining the All Blacks coaching ranks, insisting he’s committed to his current club, Munster.
The rugby world was left stunned last week when Robertson was relieved of his duties as All Blacks coach, two years into a four-year contract.