LONG READ Noah Brown: Brive's 6ft 9ins, 124kg teen eligible for England and the Springboks and targeting Test rugby

In just a few wild months, Noah Brown’s dreams have begun to come true. He has gone from club-less and stymied in England, to attracting suitors at the very top of French rugby, piquing the interest of the game’s thought leader, Rassie Erasmus, and training with Courtney Lawes, the ageless England hitman. As he sat on Zoom calls this spring with some of the biggest teams in Europe, the 19-year-old found it hard to process how drastically, and how swiftly, his life was changing.

Brown is a second-row with an eye-catching profile and ambition to match his size. He stands 6ft 9ins tall and weighs 124kg. Even in the age of protein-infused He-Men, those are mighty numbers. He was born in Port Elizabeth to a South African mother and English father, raised in Greater London, and holds eligibility for both nations. Brown is hungry to wear the colours of either U20s team, a point he hammers home repeatedly. Fresh from Oxford College, he has signed for Brive in the ProD2 and begun his first season with the club’s espoirs (effectively, academy) side.

How Brown came to be occupying a studio room in the south of France is quite the tale. It speaks to the value of hard graft, of course, but also the willingness to put oneself out there and the persistence to create opportunities where none exist. Brown had spells in the youth systems of London Irish and Gloucester but never quite cracked Prem academy rugby. His paucity of minutes for the latter meant English clubs were lukewarm about his prospects. In their eyes, he’d had no shop window to display his wares.

His coaches at college, Harrison Marshall and Tom Redfern, had pushed again and again for inclusion with England’s Under-20s to no avail. When Brown’s time with Oxford was up, his options were limited. He needed an advocate. Brown contacted the Izzat sports agency and soon, his highlight reel was landing in the inboxes of all the movers and shakers in French rugby.

“I finished playing college rugby and was a bit stuck on where to go,” Brown says. “A few clubs had shown interest during college but nothing stuck and I thought my best shot was to reach out to Izzat to get my name out there. They thought French rugby would be really good for me. They spoke to all the clubs in the ProD2 and Top 14 and within a few hours, eight or so came back very interested.

“Toulouse, Pau, Bordeaux-Begles and Racing 92 showed interest. I had calls with them all, to talk about me as a person, what their style of rugby is and how they want to play. It was about proving to the clubs who were interested what I can do, and to really push to play for England or South Africa U20s. I believe I can be at that level.”

For a kid toiling to see a path forward, to be sat suddenly before these heavyweights felt beyond surreal; like an aspiring artist invited to exhibit at the Louvre. Things got trippier still when Brown’s new agents reached out to their South African contacts and wound up on the phone to ‘Rassie’ himself. Brown’s mother, Wendy, was beside herself. So were her extended family scattered across Cape Town, Johannesburg and Plettenburg Bay.

“It was ridiculous, I couldn’t believe it,” Brown says. “I had to just sit there and realise what had just happened. Even my dad in the background was loving all of this. When I told my mum my agent had spoken to Rassie Erasmus, she couldn’t believe it. It was an unreal experience.”

I looked up to Courtney massively growing up, seeing the things he does on the pitch, being able to train alongside him when I came here was unbelievable.

In the end, Brive played a trump card. Not only were the usual assortment of academy coaches Zooming with Brown, Lawes was enlisted to sell the place. His presence alone – never mind his glowing assessment of the club – did all the heavy lifting. When Brown flew over to check out the facilities and the town for himself, he ran with the England totem in a handful of sessions.

“Brive really stood out because they had their whole senior staff on the call and they even brought on Courtney Lawes,” he says. “He said this is an awesome opportunity for me to be able to go and really focus on my rugby. In Brive, there is not much to do, it’s a very quiet town but it means you are really dedicated and to your rugby rather than going out and partying which isn’t something I’m really intrigued about. I love the fact it’s a small place.

“I looked up to Courtney massively growing up, seeing the things he does on the pitch, being able to train alongside him when I came here was unbelievable. That was a big selling point. He loved his experience here.”

Though Brown has always been a rugby obsessive, for most of his early years, there was little to suggest he’d make a career from the game. He began life in the Under-8s reserve team at Maidenhead RFC.

“I wasn’t anything special,” he says. “I started to pick up that you needed to put in hard work. I got picked for London Irish at U16s, began calling lineouts and I started thinking yeah, this could be something.

“At secondary school and then in college, I would go to a local club and do extra skills, fitness, everything. I did a little bit of kicking too – I’ll admit that – and I did all of that until dark every day which only shows the hard work does pay off.”

Brown’s physical potential was obvious, but his gangling frame was at risk of rendering him a liability rather than a weapon.

“I went into college rugby weighing 74kg at 6ft 9ins, so very slim. I realised I needed to put on weight. I spoke to some of my South African family and they told me about a South African porridge maize called mieliepap. It helped me put on good weight really quickly, my numbers have shot up in the gym to show true size and dominance in my ball-carrying and defence. I ended up gaining 50kg in three years.

I love being thrown in at the deep end with a load of international and Top 14 players. I love the style of rugby, it’s fast, it’s intense, you are always on your toes.

“I didn’t get many minutes with Gloucester which was frustrating, and that’s when I knew I really needed to knuckle down, do extras, speak to my coaches and strength and conditioning specialists to show my work ethic is higher than others’. I didn’t want to rely on talent; I wanted my work ethic to be the identity.”

There has been an element of culture shock in Brive. English is not widely spoken at the club or among the locals, so Brown is undergoing an intense period of French tuition. An hour a day, almost every day, with top-ups on Duolingo. A boyhood Harlequins fan, the former Stoop enforcer Irne Herbst has taken him under his wing. The espoirs train with and against the top dogs during their set-piece sessions.

“I love being thrown in at the deep end with a load of international and Top 14 players. I love the style of rugby, it’s fast, it’s intense, you are always on your toes and I love that.

“Seeing Irne Herbst playing for Quins was quite scary when I was 16 and weighing 74kg because he is a monster. Being able to train and gym alongside him now is surreal. It’s crazy to think. It’s only going to benefit me to learn what he does, what he’s the best at, and put it into my game.”

Clearly, Brown’s enormity is a point of difference and he’s learned to harness his bulk in varied and frequently painful ways for his opposition. He has a huge engine to drive such a big body around the paddock, and his footballing skills are being honed all the time. His leadership qualities will only grow for living abroad and running a set-piece in a second language.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Izzat Sports Agency | Athlete Management (@izzatsports)

He is desperate for an opening to prove himself at national level. The family visit the Western Cape at least once a year and Brown remembers many trips to the DHL Stadium to see the Stormers play. He finds a sense of belonging in both sides of his heritage. Earning caps for the English or South African age-grade team would not tie him to the same nation’s senior side. He knows the competition is savage and he has a CV to build. All he yearns for is a chance.

“One thing I am desperate to grab with both hands is an England U20s or South Africa U20s camp. That’s a big goal of mine within the next few months. I just know if I was to be given the opportunity, having that under my belt and proving what I can do over the other boys in my position would only help with my aspirations. I just need that opportunity so I can prove to the staff what I can do.

“I haven’t had much experience with any of the England setup. I’ve been pushing to get involved in a camp. Everyone has a different route, even coming from Maidenhead U8s second team to playing international rugby, it’s something I know can do.

“I’ve always wanted to progress at a young age to be able to really stand out at senior rugby, whether that’s with England or South Africa, and even to the British and Irish Lions – and see if I can get to the highest level.”

Brown’s season began in earnest at the start of September. He has taken on the cream of the young talent at Clermont, Perpignan and Toulouse and hopes to see ProD2 game time before the campaign is out. Between now and then, U20 squads will be named and how Brown longs to be in them. All of this is so far beyond the predicament he faced barely eight months ago. This has indeed been a wild time; the year ahead could be giddier still.