VIDEO: The 'breath of fresh air' that is needed in the Bok attack
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Tony Brown’s new attacking game plan has gotten the full backing from Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard.
With the Springboks often criticised for their lack of creativity on attack, the new attack coach has been recruited to change that narrative.
Brown is on a mission to make the Springboks a threat with the ball in hand, starting with the team’s playmakers.
On Monday, Brown outlined what the squad’s flyhalves must work on.
Brown noted that Manie Libbok has to improve his goal-kicking, while Pollard, who he has admired since his youth days, needs to start attacking the gainline more often.
“When I watched him [Pollard] play Under-20, he was the most dominant flyhalf at the gainline in the world as a 20-year-old,” Brown stated.
“If we can get back to the same footy, that would be amazing.”
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Fronting the media ahead of the much-anticipated match between Springboks and Ireland, the double World Cup winner Pollard seems excited about his to-do list.
“I don’t read much, but that sounds good,” Pollard said when asked about Brown’s comments.
“I have really enjoyed Tony [Brown], he’s been a real breath of fresh air for us.
“We were really privileged to have Felix [Jones, former Springbok attack coach] in the past; he was brilliant, and Tony just thinks about the game a little bit differently.
“He has experience from all over the world, so we’ve enjoyed him a lot since he’s come in.
“If [me playing more direct] gets us going at the line a bit more and playing with more on the gainline, great, but again, we’ve got our plans for this weekend, and we’ll just try and stick to that.”
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Without delving too much into the intricacies of the new attacking plan, Pollard conceded that Brown’s philosophy could only be a massive asset for the Boks.
“With the background that he has in the teams he’s coached in the past, he’s probably had to look for space in a different way than we are used to,” the 30-year-old explained.
“We are used to relying on our strength and physicality to get us over the gainline. 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.
“We are never going to go away from being a direct team, but the way he [Brown] sees space and the way he sees our guys using our strengths in a way that we can create more space for our outside backs is exciting.
“Against 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.”
