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What Mike Brown makes of England and the central contracts idea
Mike Brown supports the idea of central contracts for England players as a way to ease the burden on clubs operating in a bleak financial climate. Brown’s own career will continue into the 2023/24 season when he will be 38 years old after he agreed to a contract extension with Leicester, who have seen enough during five appearances to extend his initial short-term deal.
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Ollie Hassell-Collins has also agreed to join the Tigers next season but to underline the difficulty facing the Gallagher Premiership, Anthony Watson is considering leaving the East Midlands for the Top 14. The greater financial rewards available in France have already seen several current red rose internationals such as Sam Simmonds, Joe Marchant and David Ribbans agree to head across the Channel after the World Cup and the fear is that more could follow.
Saracens boss Mark McCall is among a growing number of voices within the game to see central contracts as a way to make England players more affordable for clubs, as well as ensure they remain in the Premiership. “Central contracts could be a good idea, taking the pressure off clubs financially,” said England’s most capped full-back with 72 appearances.
“If the RFU are paying for a decent amount of the top players’ salaries then there is money there that can be used elsewhere in the salary cap. It takes the pressure off them, their load management and the alignment for players. Hopefully, we won’t in the future see players having to go abroad through a lack of jobs, or financial pull. We need to stop that happening.”
A professional career that began in 2005 continues to thrive in its twilight years as Brown looks to contribute to Leicester’s Premiership title defence and challenge for European honours. Released by Newcastle at the end of last season, the former Harlequins stalwart kept himself in shape throughout the winter with solo training sessions until he secured a trial with the Tigers in January.
With Freddie Burns leaving for the Highlanders and Freddie Steward on Six Nations duty, Brown took advantage of a sliding doors moment to show interim head coach Richard Wigglesworth that he still had plenty to offer. A remarkable 19th season now beckons and he sees no reason to map out the finishing line.
“I knew I could still play and contribute, it was just about getting that opportunity,” Brown said. “It has been good to have the chance to show that I was right in my own head and prove to myself I could still do it. I have come in with no expectations and thrown myself into it and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.
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“I never wanted to think about how long I can play for. As soon as you start putting a deadline on it, mentally that is when your body starts winding down. I use (former England and Harlequins number eight) Nick Easter as an example of this. That guy was an absolute machine.
“He didn’t train that much in the gym but he never got injured and he played 80 minutes every single week. As soon as he said he was going to retire at the end of that season, he started getting injuries, so I always looked at that as an example.
“I just feel mentally freer on the field now. Mentally I enjoy the parts of the game I want to take enjoyment from, there is no pressure on me really. I don’t need to prove myself to anyone.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
102 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
102 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
102 Go to commentsHo hum.
102 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
102 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
102 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
102 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
102 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
102 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
102 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
102 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
102 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
102 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to comments