Springbok rugby head coach Rassie Erasmus has brought in two foreign coaches as he looks to bring new energy and ideas to his side as they begin their four-year plan aimed at completing a hat-trick of Rugby World Cup wins in 2027.

Former All-Black flyhalf Tony Brown will help coach the Bok attack, while former Irish hooker Jerry Flannery will focus on defence.

The decision to team up with the Boks was a no-brainer for Brown. “I’m just a 100% all-in guy. As soon as Rassie rang, I said, ‘Yes!’ The challenge and excitement I have for coaching the Springboks is massive,” he said.

“What the Springboks have done over the last two World Cups is massively impressive, and the way they are able to win big games of rugby – and the key moments in games of rugby – has been a pleasure to watch,” said Brown.

Brown is excited about the possibility of bringing fresh energy to the Springboks’ attacking play.

“Once I get more time with the players, it will become clearer how we need to play,” said Brown. “We need to be really aligned around what we do from the line-out and scrum on both sides of the ball. If they add a few little things around the attacking side, then they can be really dominant on attack as well – like we are at defence, scrum, line-out and maul.

“In terms of DNA and identity, every team’s got to be able to keep that as the main part of how they play the game. The way the Springboks play is around their physicality – it’s a huge part of how they prepare and perform at Test-match level. We will never, ever change the Springbok identity … I will just try to find ways to add to how they play the game,” added Brown.