Springbok assistant coach Tony Brown singled out better execution as one of the main areas they had to improve on in the second Test of Castle Incoming Series match against Ireland at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday as the Rugby World Cup champions go in search of a second win in a row against the world’s second highest ranked team.
Brown, who took over as the team’s attack coach this season following the departure of Felix Jones to England after the RWC in France last year, said the Boks created a few opportunities which they did not capitalise on, which could have had a big impact on the scoreboard.
“There were some really good signs with the way we spread the ball wide early on, but we need to be more clinical in the next game,” said Brown.
“We had a few chances, but we didn’t execute as well as we would have liked to, so that is one of the things we need to improve on this week. That said, the more the guys play, the better they will be, so hopefully that will improve with time.”
Brown singled out the breakdowns as another area in which the team had to step up: “It was a tough test there. Both teams worked really hard at the breakdowns, and we know the battle will be fierce again there this week. We need to be strong defensively in that area because the better the quality of the ball we get, the more effective we can be on attack.”
On a personal note, Brown, who played eight games for the Hollywoodbets Sharks in 2006 before moving to the DHL Stormers, said it was good to be back in Durban.
“I loved my time here and enjoyed both teams I played for in South Africa,” said New Zealand-born Brown, a former All-Black flyhalf. “Being back in Durban feels like coming home, so we are excited to be here and for the challenge ahead this weekend.”
Brown, who is renowned as a former player and more recently as a coach, was equally impressed with that scrum and said: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a scrum as dominant as the one. It’s really nice to coach a team with such physicality, skill, and speed.”