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Percy Montgomery’s big fear ahead of the Springboks vs the All Blacks
By Jon Newcombe
First Aled Walters, then Leon MacDonald and now Felix Jones. It’s been a tumultuous couple of weeks in the rugby coaching world.
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Over the weekend, England’s defence coach Jones handed in his resignation just 10 months after joining the Red Rose set-up from South Africa.
Jones’ decision follows on from Walters’ announcement that he was leaving England for Ireland as Head of S&C.
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Rumours suggest the primary reason Jones wants out, just when his blitz defensive system was starting to bear fruit, is down to an unstable coaching environment.
And according to former Springbok full-back Percy Montgomery, the star guest on this week’s episode of Boks Office, Jones couldn’t have timed his exit better – as long as the RFU don’t invoke the 12-month notice period in his contract.
“If there is a time to do it, the time is now. The next World Cup is coming and you want to get your coaching team together, that plays as you want,” he said.
New Zealand, meanwhile, were very clear that a lack of alignment in coaching philosophy was to blame for MacDonald leaving Scott Robertson’s All Blacks coaching team.
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Now that MacDonald has gone, two other assistants, Scott Hansen and Tamati Ellison, will take on additional responsibilities as the All Blacks prepare for their biggest challenge of the year, against the world champion Springboks in Johannesburg on Saturday.
How long that arrangement will continue is unclear but for however long the All Blacks attack coach role remains vacant, Springbok supporters, Montgomery included, will be on edge.
Brown has designs on working with the All Blacks in the future, recently saying: “One day, maybe I might coach the All Blacks – I don’t know. I just want to be part of this coaching set-up and the Springboks over the next four years.”
Montgomery, for one, is hoping that he sees out the remainder of his contract: “I just hope Tony Brown doesn’t go to New Zealand and we keep him here. I played with Tony Brown when he was at the Sharks, when he was fly-half there. He’s a great guy and I can see his contribution to South African rugby, with the attacking.”
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While Springboks rugby is riding the crest of an attacking wave under Brown, it was a different story when he and Montgomery toured Australia together with the Natal Sharks.
Speaking with Boks Office presenter Hanyani ‘Shimmy’ Shimange and fellow pundits Jean de Villers and Schalk Burger, he tells the story of the time when Brown was all at sea.
“We stayed at the Manly Pacific in Sydney, and the Sunday after the game vs New South Wales, we went for lunch and maybe we had one or two beers,” he said.
“Walking back to the hotel – in those days he had those curly blonde locks and I thought he was a surfer – I said, ‘hey Tony, ‘the waves are pretty cool, shall we go for a surf?’ So we grab our boards, paddle out, and I can’t find him. I catch a wave back in and there he is, bleeding.
“I had to take him to the doctor for stitches. I never knew he couldn’t surf.”
Episode 20 of Boks Office will be available to watch on RugbyPass TV later today (Tuesday).
Conversing with a moron is time wasting. When you grow up you might be able to support your opinions with reasoned explanations but till then keep sniffing your butt and licking your nuts while eating your regurgitated shite.
Blah blah blah. Sour grapes won't win you the cup either. The Bok fan base outside of Saw have grown considerably and more and more teams, especially in club rugby is starting copying some of the Boks stuff. They are evolving. Unless the AB's evolve, they will stay stagnant. Old school don't work anymore. The Boks are the team with the plans, the innovations. So run along and regurgitate in the pub where you belong
in order for any form of attack plays to happen you've got to have the ball... having players with good in the air ball catching skills and a solid forward pack providing good front foot ball from scrums and mauls helps too... after that its up to the play makers judgement either to run it, pass it or kick it...
NZ fans seem to struggle to differentiate between 'attack' and 'backs'. Many seem to think that attacking rugby means the backline scores tries. It's lazy, uncreative thinking. Tony is an attack coach and in the SA context that means attack of all kinds - backs, forwards, and a hybrid. Brown would work with attack from backline moves as well as lineout / maul / scrum attack. It's more holistic.
Well said. Backs and forwards are one team, and the interchange between the players need to be smooth. That's why you see a lot more forwards between the backs or on the sidelines like wings
Rassie proved 18 months to win a world cup (2019)is enough
Oh that is dependent on country. NZ can, they have the players and talent. The Irish can't, they need time to get other countries players into their system to qualify for residency so they can use them. Australia can't, because of the AFL and NRL. France can, they have enough players etc etc etc. Depending on player pool availability as well as professional players availability will be important. You can't throw amateur rugby players against international stars. That is why rank 10 to 20 gets destroyed by the bigger unions. However, I think you were talking in context to NZ and they do qualify under that distinction made
Come home Tony, you could be here for christmas.
He will be with the Boks until the next WC at least. He will be back in NZ after that. He and Razor won't see eye to eye. Now if Jamie Joseph was the coach, it may have been a different scenario
No thanks. Whats he done? Im not seeing this so called "massive improvement" in SA backs and hope they run it at NZ all game. I bet they dont tho. I bet they revert to type under pressure. The Boks backs only scored 3 of 9 tries v Aus and 2 were purely individual efforts. Sorry Brown I dont see the hype.
PM is afraid that the AB's will head hunt TB for attack coach, so that we may lose him. He hopes he stays and don't go back to NZ now that he is part of the Springbok setup. He may have a release clause in his contract. The Boks whole new system is build on TB attacking system. That is what this article is about as far as I can see which is a legitimate concern, but I think TB will stay, because of how Rassie is doing things and he wants to learn from him. He already stated he wants to be part of this Bok team for the next 4 years.
Think Tony brown will await a ticket that includes him and Jamie Joseph who he’s hugely loyal too.
Yeah and Tony seems like a man of integrity. His relationship with Rassie goes back some and I believe Tony was only interested in coaching with Jamie Joseph. Not the current bunch. I don’t think he wants to play second fiddle to Razor.
Boks by 15.
Winning is quite the draw...TB will stay I think
What on earth is this article about? I cannot understand what is being said. Sounds like an excerpt out of the Daily Voice. Whoever wrote this can't seem to string two meaningful sentences together.
I have to agree—it is a peculiar article.