Tony Brown

At any other period in New Zealand rugby history Tony Brown may have been feted among the great first five eighths of the game. But it was his misfortune to coincide his career with two consummate masters, Andrew Mehrtens and Carlos Spencer, and so for the most part he was in their respective shadows.

Yet he still had a worthy career with Otago, the Highlanders and for three seasons between 1999 and 2001, if mainly in a backup role, was a regular member of All Black squads.

A product of Kaitangata in south Otago, as the All Black first five of the 1950s, Laurie Haig, had been, Brown first came to prominence as an Otago representative in 1995. Though competing then with the dual All Black-Manu Samoa international Stephen Bachop, Brown was quickly established at NPC level and was preferred for that year’s final against Auckland at Eden Park.

In 1996 he began his lengthy Super 12 stint with the Highlanders and was soon recognised at national level with selection for the New Zealand Colts and, even though he had a fair complexion and blond hair, New Zealand Maori sides.

Further national honours for New Zealand “A” in 1998 saw him promoted ahead of Spencer as the first five understudy to Mehrtens for the 1999 season. In his test debut against Samoa at North Harbour Stadium he scored 26 points and then in the World Cup pool match against Italy later in the season he scored 36 points.

In each of the opening tests of the next two seasons, against Tonga in 2000 and Samoa in 2001, Brown again scored heavily, with 32 against the Tongans and then 30, including three tries, against the Samoans.

But apart from France in 2001 and the first two tri-nations tests soon after Brown was used for most of his test career in either the ‘softer’ early season tests or off the bench. And, indeed, for the 2000 end of season tours, with Mehrtens and Spencer being preferred for the main expedition, he was relegated to the New Zealand ‘A’ team’s European trip.

Of the 18 tests in which he appeared for the All Blacks 11 were from the bench as a replacement or substitute.