The Springboks may be the current undisputed top side in the world, but what has made them so exceptional is the way their game has evolved under the current management group.
Rassie Erasmus’ cohort of coaches have taken the side from their former forward based physicality-approach to an all-round team that has so many threats that they are very difficult to stop at the moment.
Part of that evolution has come with the addition of Tony Brown to the attack, and Jerry Flannery to the defence. Both have helped the Boks stay ahead of the chasing pack in different ways and evolved the team to be a multi-pronged side that will give analysts nightmares in trying to shut them down.
Brown this week spoke at the Bok media day about the biggest shift the Boks have made over the past few years, and that is to ensure that they have so many weapons that they don’t have to over-rely on one aspect of their game.
“Over the past two years, you’ve seen us not just defend for long periods, not just attack or rely on the kicking game. The evolution has been how we combine our defence, attack, kicking game and set-piece, and bring it together to put teams under massive pressure to score points and win test matches.
Brown underlined the fact that opposition teams have a more difficult time in analysing the side due to their multi-pronged approach, and that works in South Africa’s favour.
“No team can look at us now and say, ‘If we shut this down, we are going to win the test match,’” he explained.
“We’ve got so many different layers to our game now. We can win with defence, with our scrum, with ball in hand, with the kicking game, with counter-attack, with turnover attack, with set-piece attack.
“We are a lot more dangerous as a rugby team now, and it’s exciting to see where we can push it.”
The difference has been to see the different facets as interlinked, and to use them to the best of their advantage. The Boks don’t look to just unlock opposition defences, but to use the ball they get in transition to turn it into points. The key is to be interchangeable and fluid, and to live in the moment.
The Boks have certainly done that, having broken the international record for tries scored and points scored in 2025, they face a tougher year in 2026 and will need to back it up.
“We don’t go into a test saying we’re only going to attack. It’s about how we control the game, how we use our kicking game, how we use our defence to create turnovers, and then build our attack off those two things.
“The players have enjoyed it and have gotten better as we’ve gone through the last couple of years. We’re starting to understand how it all fits together now. So I feel as though we’re in a powerful position to push that forward over the next 12 months.”
While New Zealand have always been the starting point to where most rugby fans would look when talking about flair, Brown believes South Africa doesn’t have to stand back in terms of the amount of talent in the country.
“South African players have always had the talent. It’s about being comfortable in attacking situations and doing it together with the other 14 players. You’re seeing them recognise space and opportunity, and work together to move the ball to that space.
“We played some great rugby last year, but we’re by no means perfect. There were a couple of tests we didn’t execute well enough and that cost us.
“We believe we’re good enough to win every game we play, but we’ve got to keep getting better.”