Current Springboks assistant coach Tony Brown has revealed his contract situation after rumours of a possible shift back to New Zealand, to coach the All Blacks with one of the possible candidates, Jamie Joseph.

Joseph has been widely reported as one of the leading candidates for the vacant All Blacks coaching role, after New Zealand Rugby Chair David Kirk addressed media in Auckland on Thursday after Scott Robertson’s departure.

Brown, who has been Joseph’s right-hand man in the past, is contracted with the Springboks until the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, with negotiations for a new contract reportedly underway between Brown and South Africa.

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus recently inked a new deal with the Springboks up until the 2031 Rugby World Cup, and had spoken publicly about locking down the rest of his assistants.

Brown, speaking to Paul Cully from The Post, confirms that not only is he unable to join the All Blacks as an assistant coach because of his contract, but he also hasn’t been contacted yet by New Zealand Rugby.

“I’m obviously contracted,” Brown told The Post on Monday.

“I don’t have an out of my contract, so I’m back in South Africa [until the Rugby World Cup].

Asked about whether he would be keen on a role with the All Blacks, Brown explains that all of the rumours are just speculation and nothing has really changed.

“Everything’s just speculation. I’m not even sure what New Zealand Rugby’s plans are. No one’s really heard anything,” Brown said.

Like many coaches who have spoken out since Scott Robertson’s departure, Brown said he’s surprised that the organisation has made the move at this current point of the Rugby World Cup cycle.

“I’m very surprised,” the current Springboks assistant said on a report by The Post. “I didn’t think they would do that, especially with no one waiting to take over.

“[It’s] definitely not [going to be easy] for them [to find a replacement], especially without a CEO and high-performance manager, so there’s lots of things for them to get sorted pretty quickly.

“All the [Springboks] coaches have been chatting on chat groups and things like that, so everyone’s pretty surprised and amazed at what’s what’s been happening.”