Former England fullback Mike Brown is preparing for life after rugby and even admits he wants to broaden his horizons in a sport like football.
“I’m in a weird grey area,” he revealed to the Mail Online.
“I’m still able to play — and I’d love an opportunity to play if everything aligns — but there are no gigs out there. I’m pushing on with my transition into life after rugby and I guess we’ll see what comes first.
“I’m not going to sit here hanging on, waiting for one last pay cheque. If something else comes up then I’ll take it. Everyone in sport has to go through it at some point and for me it could be now. It’s not the way I imagined it finishing but I’ve loved it and that’s life.
“Training on your own can be a bit bleak when you’ve used to the team environment for so long,’ he says. ‘When there’s no obvious end goal you have to find a way to motivate yourself. You have your ups and downs.
“Of course I’m sad about it but as time goes by that feeling becomes a little less intense. I’ve had help from Craig White, learning coping mechanisms to deal with the bad moments, negative thoughts and the uncertainty. It’s important to keep a busy routine.
“I’ve been lucky. Jordan Turner-Hall invited me down to Worthing and asked me to get involved to give me some experience. It’s an opportunity to see things from a different angle, dip my toe into coaching and share my experiences.
“People have a perception of me in rugby — direct, challenging — so outside of rugby it’s been easier to show the side that’s curious, interested and driven. I look at Ben Ryan’s role with Brentford. I’d love to do something like that. I’d love to broaden my horizons in a sport like football and add the value of my rugby career.
“Where I want to get to is a high-performance, leadership role in elite sport; building it, developing it, sustaining it. I’ve worked with so many coaches, in many different environments, and you experience what works, what doesn’t, and now I’m learning even more from spending time in other sports.”
Read his entire interview with the Mail Online here.
Mike Brown selects his England World Cup squad with 12 months to go
Former England fullback Mike Brown has revealed the England squad that he’d pick in the run up to the Rugby World Cup next September.
#FRONT-ROW:
- Loosehead: Ellis Genge, Mako Vunipola, Joe Marler
- Hooker: Jamie George, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Jamie Blamire
- Tighthead: Kyle Sinckler, Will Stuart, Joe Heyes
Brown wrote: “On the loosehead, Ellis Genge is the out-and-out first choice. Joe Marler should come back for the World Cup and he’s neck-and-neck with Mako Vunipola.”
#SECOND-ROW:
- Lock: Maro Itoje, Jonny Hill, Ollie Chessum, Joe Launchbury
Brown wrote: “I think Joe Launchbury will come in when he’s fit and Ollie Chessum’s is on a real upward trajectory.”
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