Brown lays out targets after England axe
Spring 2019 hasn’t been easy for Mike Brown. Usually he would be in the thick of things in England’s challenge for Six Nations honours. That was the drill for seven consecutive years, the full-back featuring in 32 of his country’s 35 matches in the tournament from 2012 to 2018.
This year, though, he has been surplus to requirements and it has hurt. England talk was firmly off the agenda when he gave RugbyPass an insight into how he is busy occupying himself with Harlequins’ charge up the Gallagher Premiership table.
Not since 2012 have the Londoners lifted the trophy, but there is a spring in their current step, winning momentum that sees them go into Sunday’s home match against Gloucester on the back of five successive victories and a sense that this could be their year to cause an upset.
“That is what we’re aiming for and desperate to achieve,” said Brown, who was in Portugal at England’s pre-Six Nations camp and then travelled with the squad for their opening round win over Ireland in Dublin before being left to concentrate on club duties.
“We’re all working incredibly hard – coaches, staff and players – to keep improving and pushing each other to improve. If we keep doing this then there’s no reason why we can’t do it again. But we just need to concentrate on each game as it comes and preparing well week-on-week, while continually improving.”
(Continue reading below…)
This time last year, Quins were in the flux of a downward spiral. John Kingston, a loyal lieutenant during the trophy-winning Conor O’Shea era, had run out of road and was parked, paving the way for the cub to recruit Paul Gustard from Eddie Jones’ England set-up.
To say the switch has worked out well would be an understatement. “John Kingston is a top bloke and someone who I still speak to now. I’m not going to go over the past and what’s gone. I’m very much looking forward and excited about what may come.
“Paul has brought in a huge work ethic and demands it from us. He leads from the front in that respect with how hard he works, which is infectious. His energy and enthusiasm is also infectious which makes coming in every day so great. He also knows when to have fun at the right times.
“The thing I’ve really liked is how Paul just lets me be me, play the way which brings the best out of me and encourages me to be that. That is showing with how I’m playing.”
Now 33, Brown has packed a hell of a lot into a headline career that has had its share ups and downs. If he could write a letter to a 20-year-old version of himself starting out on the path that earned him 72 England caps, he’d keep the advice simple. “I’d say to him it’s incredibly tough so if you aren’t fully committed to it then don’t bother. Give everything you have and you’ll get the rewards. It’s worth it.”
Longevity has been the name of Brown’s game and his loyalty to Quins is rewriting history. He recently became their most capped player, surpassing Grahame Murray’s 46-year appearance record, when he played for the 308th time last month. He has also tied with Ugo Monye as the club’s record professional era try scorer, his February score against Bristol his 89th try so far.
? What are you doing tonight?
? We're watching this insane @mikebrown_15 offload on repeat#COYQ pic.twitter.com/ZdVtuoYDUy
— Harlequins ? (@Harlequins) March 4, 2019
It won’t be until the boots are hung up that the significance of these individual achievements fully sets in, but Brown is pleased to have stuck by Quins. His 14-season attachment with the club is a rarity at a time where there is so much inter-club movement with players moving on from one contract to the next.
“Harlequins were the club which gave me the chance to be a professional player. It’s a great club to be part of with so much history. Being part of that and part of teams adding to the history is a big motivating factor,” he explained.
“It’s also where I’ve been able to grow up with a number of players from a young age, the likes of Danny Care, Joe Marler, so that makes it special.
“Obviously I’m proud of these milestones but I will look at these things even more when I’ve finished my career. What’s more important to me is winning things with Harlequins and the last few years we’ve been nowhere near doing that, which I found incredibly frustrating.
“This season we have improved as a team and are now in knockout stages in Europe and currently third in the Premiership, so we’re on the right track. Hopefully we can keep getting better because I’m desperate, like everyone here is, to put this great club back where it belongs, competing for trophies.”
? STAT | Quins have scored 2?2? tries in their last four @premrugby matches
? Ahead of our match against Gloucester on Sunday, Mark Mapletoft runs us through his three favourites ?
? Disagree? Let us know which tries would make your top three.#COYQ | #HARvGLO pic.twitter.com/YlO6gr7xt3
— Harlequins ? (@Harlequins) March 7, 2019
That ambition take its latest step with Sunday’s visit of fourth-place Gloucester to the Stoop. The game’s scheduling on the same weekend as the England-Italy match across the road on Saturday at Twickenham means it won’t attract the level of attention it would normally.
Brown, though, can’t speak highly enough about his rare bread-and-butter Premiership experience at a time of the year when he would usually have been be involved on the international scene.
“All the games I’ve played in for Quins during the Six Nations have had brilliant crowds and the atmosphere at home and away has been brilliant.”
Comments on RugbyPass
AI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
45 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
58 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to comments