Brown’s back – in black
15 Mar 2006
Sharks flyhalf Tony Brown plans to prove a point against his former Highlanders team-mates at the House of Pain on Saturday.
The former All Black No 10 played 83 Vodacom Super 12 matches for the Kiwi franchise, scoring a mammoth 817 points. He also racked up another 847 points in 71 matches for Otago.
Brown, who played for the Wild Knights in Japan after leaving New Zealand rugby, has impressed during his short stint with the Sharks in this year’s Super 14.
“Tony would love to put one over his old team-mates,” coach Dick Muir told Mercury rugby writer Mike Greenaway. “I think they allowed him to move on because they had an exciting youngster in Nick Evans coming through. Well, we have already seen that Tony still has what it takes to excel at this level. He has a very competitive nature and I reckon he will put in a big performance.”
Ironically, Brown will not have a chance to prove himself against Evans, after the Highlanders flyhalf injured himself against the Bulls last weekend.
Either 20-year-old Callum Bruce, who has played just one senior provincial game, or 22-year-old Ryan Bambry, who has played just one season of provincial rugby, will come into the starting XV.
Muir said Brown had given the Sharks some inside info ahead of the game.
“We have been using Tony a lot to learn about the New Zealand sides, he has a vast amount of knowledge of the conditions here,†said the coach. “We haven’t specifically pin-pointed the Highlanders because all the New Zealand sides play a similar brand of rugby. There is a lot of cohesion among the Super 14 coaches and they share a lot of knowledge and know-how between them. Tony is a great player; he’s fitting in well with the team, and with the Sharks’ culture.â€
14 Comments
15 Mar 2006, 14:06 pm
Me thinks with the injuries at the Highlanders and the fact that they have come off a bruising loss to the Bulls and they have had to travel, IT WILL BE A SHARK ATTACK!!!
15 Mar 2006, 14:21 pm
its going to be a helluva forwards battle and BJ will have his work cut out, but i think the sharks might pull off an upset.
Its a great sharks team, pity about Monty, and the highlanders are just returning after a loss to the bulls.
15 Mar 2006, 14:49 pm
man you have to get up for the SHARKS this season even though im MIFF baout the results they have shown such promise. Brown is good they are gelling, sooner or later they will pull of a massive win on tour. it has ot happen
15 Mar 2006, 15:36 pm
I think this may be the away game that we finally get a win!!
15 Mar 2006, 16:24 pm
it would be nice to win a game away… once…
15 Mar 2006, 16:52 pm
It would set us up nicely for the last game against the stumbling Hurricanes who would have just arrived home after a long trip/flight from SA….
15 Mar 2006, 19:06 pm
Sorry guys, really hope the Sharks do it. But this is the House of Pain. Just ask the Boks. Think the Highlanders will be even more difficult to beat than they were in SA. Hopefully the travelling will have done them in.
15 Mar 2006, 21:30 pm
Sharks forever.
16 Mar 2006, 05:48 am
Hey guys although i dont like your chances of winning they are finding it really hard to sell tickets here in Dunedin this week. only 4000 have sold and if its a small crowd then the sharks might win. However if it swells to over 20 000 with the walk up crowd the Highlanders will be spurred to vicotry. Loftus is hard to win at and the boys will bounce back at home even without Evans. You guys beat us at home last time we came back from Africa so we will be even more determined to rectify that loss.
I think it will be a great game between two hard foward packs. Tony Brown might just be the difference for you guys but i think you are at a big loss without percy.
Highlanders to pull it out of the bag by 1-7
16 Mar 2006, 08:11 am
Keo the teams are out: check http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/03/16/1463862.htm
16 Mar 2006, 08:13 am
Maori DUNEDIN IS PRETTY MOBSTER FREE ISNT IT?
16 Mar 2006, 08:24 am
It sure is bliksem…just a few local bogans to contend with. Iv done my fantasy team – id tip Brad Mika – the Saders tite foward playing at numba 8 as the best buy for the week – hes gona steamroll the cats. Bliksem i would love to chat i Really would but the speights is calling so im off to have a few so I can celebrate St Patriks day at the stroke of Midnight and then again 2moro nite.
I hope they serve Guiness in S.A
Yarn 2moro
16 Mar 2006, 08:26 am
By the way its speights til midnight then guiness, just to clarify
To expensive 4 me to drink too much guiness!
Ka Ki Te Ano (See you soon)
16 Mar 2006, 08:27 am
Enjoy.I am more of a Tui man myself.But Speights is the drink of the southerners so each to his own.
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