Brown's legacy will always smile through Blitzbok folklore

The closest that Kyle Brown has ever come to losing his temper on a rugby field was in Moscow in 2013.

The Blitzboks captain had just led his team to three consecutive wins in the World Cup campaign and was looking forward to a quarterfinal showdown with Fiji on day three of the Sevens showpiece tournament when the inexplicable happened.

A physio from the Scottish team – the team the Blitzboks walloped in their final game of the pool rounds – shouted “eye gouging” at match officials as Brown tackled one of their players. It was a high hit, his hand starting low and slipping up into the face of the player, but hardly an intentional charge that she had claimed he had committed.

In most cases, the tackle would have been at most penalised as high, and at least simply ignored, but in a World Cup and with overzealous officiating concerned that they missed something, Brown was cited and ordered to attend a disciplinary hearing that night.

Given the shortened nature of Sevens tournaments, things happened very quickly, and later that night Brown was sentenced to a four-match ban to the horror of the Blitzbok management team.

The team decided to appeal, but the appeal could only take place the next morning at 9.30am with the Blitzboks scheduled to leave at the same time for their quarterfinal match at 11am.

The impact on the closely-knit team was disastrous. And while Brown’s sanction was reduced to two matches on appeal because, as a World Rugby official later admitted to me, “we couldn’t afford to lose face” – it decimated the Blitzbok campaign.

In normal circumstances facing Fiji is a mountain and a game that can go either way. The psychological impact on the side without Brown was palpable and it was clear he was seething as he stood on the sidelines and his colleagues played their hearts out but lost to exit the World Cup.

It was the only time that Brown was asked to chat and he declined.

"Give me five minutes," he said, clearly emotional about what had happened and the impact it had.

But five minutes later, true to his word, Brown was chatting about the incident in the most diplomatic tones that could be expected from a leader of men. He was firm, forthright and ultimately accepting that he could do nothing about it, so why linger on the entire case.

It was an exceptional example of sports leadership, and one that we don’t see often enough in professional sport.

But that is Brown. The honour of wearing the six jersey in green and gold was never lost on him, the irony of a blond captain neither.

Yet he was the type of player that never needed to anger to get a response from his team. He simply led by example.

Now, after such an illustrious career, Brown has finally called it a day, setting the stage for a new generation to lead the Blitzbok team forward while he moves onto a next chapter.

But those he has interacted with, those he has worked with and the team he led will forever miss his presence in their ranks.

His career spanned the globe and included three HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series titles, 69 tournaments and 347 matches in the shortened code, scoring 89 tries for a career total of 445 points.

The 32-year-old Brown made his debut for the Blitzboks in the 2008-09 season in Dubai and also captained the side for two seasons, with his last stint as skipper coming in Singapore in 2018.

Brown captained the team to a historic first gold medal in Rugby Sevens at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and also won bronze with Team South Africa at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Brown was named in the tournament Dream Team afterwards.

As a Blitzbok, Brown was part of all three Springbok Sevens squads that won the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in the 2008-09, 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

It is easy, therefore, to see the tributes flow as current Blitzbok coach Neil Powell can attest to.

"I was privileged enough to play with Kyle and later coach him and in both roles, he remained a gentleman, a friend and a player who cares deeply for the Blitzboks," said Powell.

"Few people realise how hard he had to work to get back into contention after two consecutive knee operations. He showed tremendous guts and determination to regain his competitive edge following those injuries, and did so with such a positive mind-set that it enhanced the Blitzboks on the world stage."

Brown’s legacy will be as a major part of Springbok Sevens rugby, transforming the side from a rugby distraction for purists into champions that now have an exceptional following locally and are respected around the world. If the Blitzboks were pioneers in sevens rugby for their professional approach, a large portion of that is because of Brown’s dedication and leadership.

As in his final farewell release, Brown showed once again why he will be remembered as one of the great Sevens players and captains of the team.

"People always want to know what is special about this team, the answer is seemingly simple – the people. People have always been the heart and soul of this team, and the dominant reason why I have stayed with this team for so long.

"People shape this team and the team continuously shapes them, it’s a cycle that I have always admired and hope that it continues on the progressive path that it has been on. To the special group of players who have come and gone, and to those that remain, thank you for creating the perfect environment to call home."

The trademark smile during every interview will have a new role shortly, but for those who have followed the Blitzboks closely in their rise from an afterthought to being one of the top sides in world rugby, Brown’s name will always be linked.

And the next generation has a high bar to meet when it comes to representing the Blitzboks in future.