Last Thursday night’s kick-off to the 2006 Six Nations in Paris provided a reminder of why South Africa needs to do everything possible to keep Tony Brown committed to the Springboks as attack coach.
While many see it as a fait accompli that Brown will continue, as he has told Bok coach Rassie Erasmus as much, even though his long-time coaching partner Jamie Joseph is a heavy favourite to take over from the axed Scott Robertson as All Black coach, it shouldn’t be rated a certainty until Joseph actually has the job and if Brown is offered something.
It is hard to imagine Brown coaching against Joseph in the big event of the rugby year, the Greatest Rivalry Series, so let’s see what happens. Everyone has a price, and being contracted doesn’t preclude you from being bought out of that contract.
But from the Bok World Cup aspirations viewpoint, let’s hope Brown stays put because France under the Stade de France lights produced a stunning all-round performance in comprehensively beating Ireland 36-14 in the competition opener.
The platform was laid by France’s accurate aerial game, and though their pack didn’t quite scrum the Irish off the park like the Boks did in Dublin in November, they didn’t set their stall on dominance in that phase to the extent the South Africans did.
What would have been noted by the Boks brain trust would have been the way the French moved the ball through the tackle, causing the many holes that were opened up and exploited by the hosts and the high number of tackles missed.
The French forwards, and in particular man of the match Mickaël Guillard and his fellow lock Charles Ollivon, played a big part in the French attacking success with their carries, and flanker Oscar Jegou had a hand in almost all five French tries.
The mobility of the French big men was a copy of the way the Bok forwards have evolved their game since Brown has been involved, and on this evidence they need to continue evolving and continue in the direction they have started out on.
Of course, Brown leaving wouldn’t necessarily mean what he started is discarded, but it would be better for the Bok chances when they get to Australia next September that they seamlessly continue their evolution.
The French delivered the statement performance many expected them to, and though England were equally comprehensive winners over Wales at Twickenham two days later and confirmed their status as a rising team in the global pecking order, it will take some doing from the English to better France on the form they showed on the opening night.
That is always provided the French don’t rediscover their penchant for conspiring against themselves just when it looks like they have the bit between their teeth and are steaming to success.
England were good, particularly in the first half, and they too have made some impressive improvements to their all-round attacking game and the way the forwards are used across the park. But then it was just Wales they were playing against.
Wales were beaten 73-0 by the Boks in November, and though the team that played the Six Nations opener was stronger than that team, it has to be counterbalanced with the fact it was an away game for South Africa.
England face their first big test when they go to Edinburgh this week for their Calcutta game. Scotland have tended to dominate the Murrayfield games in recent years, and if England want to mark themselves as proper contenders for the World Cup, they can’t afford to keep losing to Scotland. That is not something teams such as the Boks and All Blacks do.
Scotland, though, will be going into the game at a low ebb after a defeat to Italy in Rome that has introduced fresh questions about Gregor Townsend’s future as coach. The pressure has been intensified by the Glasgow Warriors’ excellent form under former Bok assistant coach Franco Smith in the URC and Champions Cup.
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