In the immediate aftermath of Matt O’Connor’s departure as Leinster head coach, Paddy Power had already drawn up a list of potential replacements. Robbie Deans was initially seen as a sure thing, with Jono Gibbes and Ewen McKenzie also strongly linked with the post.
But as Deans and Gibbes ruled themselves out, and with McKenzie’s candidacy never generating a particularly large amount of excitement, there was no longer an obvious coach to replace the departing Australian.
But on Saturday, the Irish Times reported that Highlanders backs coach Tony Brown is being strongly considered as the right person to come in. Brown has head coaching experience with New Zealand provincial side Otago in the ITM Cup but like former Leinster coaches Michael Cheika and Joe Schmidt, he would come to the province having never ran the show at a truly big club.
However, Brown did reach the highest level as a player, representing the All Blacks 18 times between 1999 and 2001. Ironically, despite not being the most exciting out-half during his playing days, his credentials as a coach are very exciting if you are a Leinster fan, because his strengths lie in an area that the team misfired in during last season.
Only three Super Rugby sides have scored more than 400 points this season, and the Highlanders are one of them. They have also scored the third most tries in a league that sees defence turned into attack so regularly that it often resembles basketball.
Not only that, but Highlanders out-half Lima Sopoaga has credited Brown as the man behind his – and the team’s – stellar season.
Under Brown’s tutelage, Sopoaga has gone from a raw talent to a player many are tipping for inclusion in the All Blacks Word Cup squad.
“Browny always talks about having the confidence to pull the trigger, back your skill set and that’s what we do,” Sopoaga said in an interview with Stuff.NZ and the out-half plays the game with his mentor’s swagger (click on GIFs to play).
While the returning Johnny Sexton is already in the form of his life, the impact that Brown could have on someone like Ian Madigan is a very interesting prospect. Madigan’s running and passing skills are as sharp as any out-half in Europe but he seemed to be lacking that bit of confidence this season at some key moments.
Brown has also shown the ability to get the most out of his back three players. Leinster struggled to break sides down this year – they were held tryless in the Champions Cup quarter-final and semi-final – while Brown has helped turn wing Waisake Naholo into a star in Dunedin.
Naholo’s form has been so scintillating that the New Zealand Rugby Union bought him out of the pre-contract agreement he signed with Clermont earlier this year.
The wing is another back at the Highlanders who is being talked about as a potential All Black having worked with Brown.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6khjoV_oss
While the frontline internationals are away at the World Cup, if Brown was able to impress his ideas onto young players like Cian Kelleher and Garry Ringrose, the result could be special.
Another thing that sticks out when you watch the Highlanders is that their first instinct when fielding a high ball is almost always to run it back.
That is an aspect of Rob Kearney’s game that he hasn’t utilised regularly in recent seasons as Irish rugby has moved towards a more kicking orientated-game but it would add another threat to the Leinster attack if the former Lion rediscovered his counter-attacking game.
Brown has said that Leinster haven’t yet approached him but with the Super Rugby season still ongoing, it would be no surprise if the province opened discussions after the competition is over.
And while he may not be well-known among Leinster fans, his track record in Super Rugby would indicate that he has the exact skill-set Leinster need to return to the days of swashbuckling rugby played under Joe Schmidt.
