New Zealand Rugby (NZR) yesterday made the stunning announcement that Brown would fulfil a long-held ambition by joining the All Blacks as an assistant coach on a two-year deal.
What made a few jaws drop was the specifics around timing.
Former Highlanders coach Brown will not be pulling out of his contract with the Springboks, whom he has committed to work for until after the 2027 Rugby World Cup, to immediately join new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie.
His two-year deal with NZR will not kick in until 2028.
Employing a coach on a contract that does not start for another two years is an unprecedented situation for the All Blacks and might even make Brown a unicorn in global sport.
The coveted rugby brain has always made it clear he was keen to join the All Blacks.
He and long-time coaching compadre Jamie Joseph hoped to lead the staff that replaced Ian Foster after the 2023 season, but NZR went for the stardust of uber-successful Crusaders coach Scott Robertson.
Then, when Robertson was starting to flounder, Brown was canvassed for his interest but made it clear his contract with South Africa was unbreakable.
There is no suggestion Rennie will depart after 2027, nor that Joseph — who missed out to Rennie in a straight shootout earlier this year to replace the sacked Robertson — is any closer to getting the national job.
It is, however, clear the All Blacks felt it was time to lock in Brown, who will be coaching against his home nation on the Greatest Rivalry tour and at the World Cup before switching sides, for the future.
Brown is in South Africa and was unable to be reached for comment, but in a statement he said he was grateful to coach Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks, and he was thinking only about his current job for now.
“My contract with New Zealand Rugby only begins in 2028, so there is still a long road ahead before that comes into play,” Brown said.
“Right now, I am fully committed to the Springboks. What we are building and trying to achieve as a team over the next two years is my only focus.”
NZR chief executive Steve Lancaster said Brown was a ‘‘world-class coach who is highly regarded and consistently sought after by head coaches and teams around the world’’.
The decision to appoint Brown was led by incoming high performance director Don Tricker, who does not start his new fulltime role until November, but Rennie was ‘‘engaged throughout the process and is supportive of the appointment’’.
