Brown\u2019s signing is unique in that he will join the All Blacks regardless of who the head coach is \u2013 current head coach Dave Rennie is only contracted until the end of next year \u2013 but it would take a catastrophic series of performances and results for Rennie to be let go before then.<\/p>\n
NZ Rugby chief executive Steve Lancaster confirmed today that Rennie\u2019s contract would be up for renewal after next year\u2019s Rugby Championship, which will be held before the World Cup, which starts on October 1.<\/p>\n
There have been questions among some Springboks’ fans about the timing of the announcement, coming as it does on the eve of the “Greatest Rivalry” tour of South Africa in August and September. But it is clear NZ Rugby has learned from the past to snap up Brown before he accepts a contract with another international rival. <\/p>\n
It is understood that Brown had also attracted serious interest from other nations and European and Japanese clubs.<\/p>\n
And as for announcing it 18 months before he starts, it is clear too that the news would have leaked almost immediately regardless.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we do know from dialogue from other head coaches and previous head coaches and potential head coaches is that everybody would have Tony Brown in their team,\u201d Lancaster said today.<\/p>\n
For Sopoaga, who won a Super Rugby championship under Brown at the Highlanders in 2015, the signing is a big deal.<\/p>\n
![\"Lima](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/lima-sopoaga-pictured-while-playing-for-the-highlanders-in-2-5BBVLRRX3RAGXNDWSSRZTIHLGA.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Lima Sopoaga, pictured while playing for the Highlanders in 2018. (Source: Photosport)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a massive coup for them,\u201d he told 1News today. \u201cHe\u2019s arguably the best attack coach walking on this planet right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a really big signing for New Zealand Rugby and the All Blacks and it will really help the team in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe brings all sorts of different philosophies and thought processes. What he\u2019ll be able to do is unlock the talent in this country in a way that is innovative and fun. That\u2019s something I really enjoyed about his coaching style.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was Brown who famously thought up Sopoaga\u2019s infamous \u201cbehind the head\u201d kick play during a match against the Hurricanes in Wellington in 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cExpect the unexpected with him,\u201d Sopoaga said. \u201cHe\u2019ll come up with things that are so far out of the box that other teams wouldn\u2019t dare to try\u2026 he\u2019s always willing to push the boundaries in terms of attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several questions came to mind with this morning\u2019s announcement. First, how involved Rennie was with the appointment when NZ Rugby\u2019s statement made it clear that incoming high performance director Don Tricker was leading the process, and how the other coaches, most pertinently new attack coach Mike Blair, would feel about it.<\/p>\n
Lancaster stated Rennie was \u201cengaged with the process\u201d from the start and neither Blair nor any of the other coaches need worry about their roles beyond 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe portfolio that Tony will hold will be a question for the head coach at the time,\u201d Lancaster said. \u201cNothing is pre-determined in terms of what role or what portfolio Tony will have. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe see his addition to the team as exactly that. It\u2019s an addition to the team. With the current group we have two outstanding forward coaches in Neil Barnes and Jason Ryan and we\u2019ve been able to give them both portfolios that will set the team up for success. Tony will add to the group as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The other intriguing element to the signing is Brown was firmly on Jamie Joseph\u2019s coaching ticket at the Highlanders and Japan. <\/p>\n