Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Springboks train eyes on former Ireland forward - report

By Ian Cameron
Munster Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus, left, with defence coach Jacques Nienaber, ahead of the European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 4 Round 2 match between Munster and Racing 92 at Thomond Park in Limerick. (Photo By Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Former Munster and Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery is poised to become the new defence coach for the Springboks  – report Afrikaans news outlet Rapport.

ADVERTISEMENT

Currently serving as the defence coach for Harlequins, Flannery is no stranger to high-performance teams. His tenure at Harlequins follows a significant stint at Munster where he worked under Rassie Erasmus during the 2016/17 season. Quins boast a remarkable record in the Gallagher Premiership with the second-best defence,

This move comes at a pivotal time for the South African national team following the departure of Jacques Nienaber, the previous head coach and defence expert.

Flannery’s potential appointment would fill a crucial gap, bringing his expertise and strategic approach to the Springboks’ coaching panel. His name was not initially among a number of speculated candidates; with earlier reports suggesting that retired Ulster and South Africa number eight Duane Vermeulen was in line for the position.

Additionally, the story from Rapport indicates that Tony Brown, renowned for his role as attack coach and his work with Japan in the last two World Cups, is also set to join the Springboks’ coaching staff.

Brown’s collaboration with former Japan head coach Jamie Joseph has been widely acclaimed.

If confirmed, Flannery’s role would also address the departure of Felix Jones, another former Munster player who recently transitioned to the role of defence coach with England.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jones had been a part of the Springboks’ setup since their World Cup victory in 2019 and had a shared history with Flannery at Munster under both Erasmus and Johann van Graan.

If the move goes ahead it would be the latest in talent swapping between the two rugby superpowers on both a player and coaching basis; with the likes of Jean Kleyn, RG Snyman, Nienaber, Jones, Graan and Erasmus all moving pieces on the rugby’s increasingly open chess board.

Related

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

USER NOTICE:

As of today you will need to reset your password to log into RugbyPass to continue commenting on articles.

Please click the ‘Login’ button below to be redirected and start the account validation and password reset process.

Thank you,

Comments

7 Comments
S
Silk 180 days ago

Brown will be a wonderful addition to the Boks. I felt he was hugely underrated as a player in NZ. He is innovative and has a great feel for the game.

S
Shaun 180 days ago

Wow, if Tony brown is really on board with the springboks, could this mean that Rassie is looking and building a different team strategically?

Load More Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

TRENDING
TRENDING South Africa stun New Zealand as men’s Olympic sevens semi-finals set South Africa stun New Zealand as Olympic sevens semi-finals confirmed
Search