Pollard Believes Brown Can Bolster Springboks Attack, but Warns Against Immediate Shift Against Ireland
Fly-half Handre Pollard is confident that newly appointed attack coach Tony Brown will have a significant impact on the Springboks’ gameplay, though he cautions that this may not be immediately evident in their upcoming clash against Ireland.
Addressing Brown’s mission to help Pollard recapture the dominant form he displayed during his under-20 days, the experienced playmaker acknowledged the former All Black‘s influence on the squad.
Following the departure of Jacques Nienaber and Felix Jones after the 2023 Rugby World Cup triumph, Rassie Erasmus returned as Springboks head coach and recruited new assistants, including ex-Ireland hooker and Harlequins defence coach Jerry Flannery and renowned strategist Brown.
Brown, highly respected globally for his success with the Highlanders and Japan, was brought in to oversee the Boks’ attack. With South Africa often criticized for their lack of creativity, the New Zealander has been tasked with transforming them into a more well-rounded attacking threat.
“I have really enjoyed Tony, he’s been a real breath of fresh air for us. We were really privileged to have Felix in the past; he was brilliant, and Tony just thinks about the game a little bit differently and, of course, has experience from all over the world, so we’ve enjoyed him a lot since he’s come in.”
While Pollard acknowledged Brown’s desire to see him play a more direct game akin to his dominant under-20 performances, the experienced fly-half emphasized that the squad’s focus remains on their specific game plan for the upcoming clash against Ireland.
“If that [me playing more direct] gets us going at the line a bit more and playing with more on the gain line, great, but again, we’ve got our plans for this weekend, and we’ll just try and stick to that,” Pollard explained.
Recognizing Brown’s success with teams that don’t rely on physicality as much as the Springboks, Pollard believes the new coach’s perspective could be a valuable asset.
“He sees it a bit differently, and I think as a group, we’re at a point now where we can start using a bit more of our skill set and not just be one-dimensional,” the fly-half added.
However, Pollard cautioned that executing this approach may be more challenging against a formidable defense like Ireland‘s, stating, “Again, good defences like Ireland, that’s not always going to be the case, but if we can create a couple more opportunities for our outside backs, it’s a win for us.”
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