No slacking off for overseas-based Springboks as 'Big Brother' is always watching, says Tony Brown

It’s not a case of “out of sight, out of mind” when it comes to South African players playing abroad. Nobody can even think of slacking off when it comes to Springbok selection.

This was the message from Springboks attack coach Tony Brown ahead of their season opener against the Barbarians at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium on Saturday.

Many of the Springboks' stalwarts ply their trade in places like Japan and Europe, where they earn a lot more money than what they would be earning in South Africa.

Many of those playing abroad are experienced campaigners who have been part of coach Rassie Erasmus’ two Rugby World Cup-winning squads in 2019 and 2023. But that doesn’t mean they get a free ride into the Bok team. They have to maintain the same sort of levels for their club teams that they do when getting together for the Boks, because 'Big Brother' is always watching.

“We track every player around their work-rate and skillset and everything else around their performance,” Brown told the media in Cape Town on Monday.

“We know what every franchise player is doing, we even track Cheslin in Japan and guys who play overseas. Every player is being tracked and we are really aware of who is playing well and who is a little off the pace.

“We know who are the young guys coming through who can play Test match rugby. We are well aware of that. There are not many players we miss around the world.”

However, most of the youngsters coming through and who have been added to the squad play their rugby in South Africa.

Erasmus has been forced into a gradual rebuild of the Boks, with many stalwarts expected to pack it in after the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. Many of the double Rugby World Cup-winning Boks will be in their mid-30s by the time the next tournament comes around, which has necessitated the injection of new blood.

Erasmus rotated heavily in 2024, picking 50 players for the Boks and handing a dozen new players their first Bok starts. Only once did Erasmus go into a Test with an unchanged starting line-up, and that was in the Test series against Ireland.

With 14 matches confirmed for 2025 and another Test also on the cards, Erasmus is likely to again rotate heavily again as they look forward to defending their title at the 2027 showpiece event. 

“With every Test side, young players come in and get an opportunity to be selected for the Springboks. It’s a special moment for all of those guys,” Brown said.

“It’s been a good two, three weeks. The young guys definitely keep the older guys on their toes and the competition is strong amongst the squad. It can only enhance Springbok rugby.”

Replacing some of the greatest rugby players to ever play the game is bound to be a tall order. The current Boks are the golden generation, players who have won two World Cups and everything else in between.

Players such as Eben Etzebeth, captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Cheslin Kolbe and Damian de Allende - to name but a few - will eventually be remembered as greats of the game.

But South Africa has a talent pool second to none, with the pipeline producing world class players on a regular basis. South African rugby is the strongest it's ever been, and Brown has tipped his hat to Erasmus’ ability to seamlessly integrate the next generation of players.

“The Springboks have won the last two World Cups and have a massive amount of depth, not only in South Africa, but around the world playing in different countries,” former All Blacks flyhalf Brown said.

“I just think that Rassie does an amazing job in blooding the young guys to push the older guys. That is what creates the depth, being given an opportunity to prove yourself on the biggest stage.

“If you look at how many players we had at our camp and how many players we are tracking, I think we are well ahead in terms of who potentially can play at the World Cup.

“We are developing our game in terms of how we play rugby and we are moving forward there. If we can continue to grow our game and develop players, we are always going to be in a good space.”

@JohnGoliath82