VIDEO: Brown's 'brave' new Boks
“It is nice to have the ball in your hands.”
That sentence encapsulates how South Africa’s players feel about their new attack coach Tony Brown.
Added to the Springbok coaching panel by Rassie Erasmus at the start of the year, the New Zealander, Brown, has slowly evolved the team’s attack.
It has not been a flawless process, with some hiccups along the way.
However, the team has embraced the process, according to two-time World Cup-winning scrumhalf Cobus Reinach.
That newfound attacking intrepidness will again be on display against England at Twickenham on Saturday.
Speaking about the rivalry with England over the last few years – which includes the one-point (16-15) win in the World Cup semifinal in Paris last year – Reinach said it is about playing your best game in those crunch matches.
“We can expect some desperation from them, following close losses to New Zealand [22-24] and Australia [37-42],” the scrumhalf said.
He added that the Boks must stick to what has worked for them this season and at last year’s World Cup.
Asked about their ability to keep winning tight games – including three back-to-back one-pointers in the play-offs at the World Cup – the seasoned No.9 said it is a ‘strange old game’.
“Sometimes you are on the right side of close matches and sometimes not.
“It is all about your preparations,” he said in the build-up to Saturday’s Twickenham face-off.
“Do you prepare for circumstances in the match and situations that may occur?
“Our coaches prepare us for any eventuality and the players feel confident that they know what to do in certain situations.”
(WATCH as Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach previews the face-off against England….)
Turning to new assistant coach Tony Brown, charged with attack, Reinach said the Kiwi showed them how to view attack in a different manner.
“He taught us to be brave on attack,” he said, adding: “We as No.9s can now scoot a little bit.
“We can carry the ball a few steps before making a call on what to do with it.
“It is nice to have the ball in your hands and not just pass it off the deck all the time.
“Everyone has bought in and it has worked for us.”
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