Rugby: Leinster coaching job news to Brown

Tony Brown
Tony Brown
Highlanders assistant coach Tony Brown has been linked with a head coaching job at Irish powerhouse Leinster but the man himself says it is news to him.

The Irish Times and other Irish media reported yesterday Brown was the latest name to emerge as a candidate to become the next coach of Leinster.

But Brown said, when contacted yesterday, he had not heard from Leinster at all and had no aspirations to move anywhere else at the moment.

Brown (40) was in his second year at the Highlanders, and is part of a coaching staff which, for the second year in a row, has led the Highlanders into the playoffs.

Leinster had previously been linked with former Crusaders and Wallabies coach Robbie Deans but Deans denied the move.

Leinster had previously been coached by now Irish coach Joe Schmidt and current Wallabies coach Michael Cheika.

Australian Matt O'Connor was sacked by Leinster last month after two years in charge.

The Highlanders will start training today, after having yesterday off, knowing they need to show the Blues no mercy in Auckland on Friday night.

Following the penultimate round of regular season games, the Highlanders sit in fifth place though there is nothing between teams.

It could not be tighter with the Chiefs just ahead in fourth - by one point on points differential - and the Brumbies one point behind in sixth place, and still with an eye on winning the Australian conference.

The Highlanders received a couple of nasty injuries in their defeat to the Hurricanes and will assess them today.

Lock Tom Franklin had a blow to his wrist while centre Jason Emery left the field after suffering a head knock late in the first half.

The Highlanders will have the comfort of knowing Malakai Fekitoa can come back into the centre position, along with the side's other two All Blacks, but the possible loss of Franklin could create some panic in the locking position.

Mark Reddish is out for the season with a broken hand and Joe Wheeler has strained knee ligaments and was initially believed to be out for the season, although he could make a surprise return.

Joe Latta is the lock with the wider training squad.

The Hurricanes, courtesy of their 56-20 win over the Highlanders in Napier on Friday night, have qualified top and will have the bye in the first week of the playoffs.

Because of the way the competition is set up, the next best a New Zealand team can finish is fourth, and with it a home playoff game in the first week of the finals.

That is what the Highlanders are aiming for and have perhaps the easiest of the draw of the teams left in the running.

They play the Blues in Auckland on Friday night and need to win big, with a four try bonus point, and then hope the Chiefs cannot match or better that when they play the Hurricanes on Saturday night in New Plymouth.

The Brumbies play the Crusaders in Canberra on Saturday while the Waratahs, who are tied with the Brumbies on points but head the Australian conference, having won more games, will play the Reds in Sydney.

The Brumbies beat the Force 33-20 in Perth late on Friday night, while the Crusaders beat the Blues 34-11.

The Chiefs beat a woeful Reds side 24-3. In South Africa, the Waratahs beat the Cheetahs 58-33 and the Stormers and the Lions drew 19-19.


Super rugby
Playoff permutations

What the Highlanders want in order to host a playoff game:

Beat the Blues by plenty, scoring at least four tries
For the Chiefs not to win by more

What the Highlanders do not want:

Lose to the Blues
The Chiefs, Brumbies and Waratahs all win big
Highlanders off to Africa to play the Stormers in a playoff game


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