Brown’s anger at ‘mad’ longer season

Mike Brown is known as Mr Angry for good reason. Given the opportunity, the Harlequins full-back could start a fight in a Buddhist temple.

Yet sometimes his rage is entirely justifiable, such as the proposals to extend the Premiership season to 10 months, which he describes as “ridiculous” and “madness”.

Against Gloucester, Brown made his 282nd appearance as a Harlequins player, overtaking Nick

Easter to set a club record in the professional era. At the other end of the scale, Marcus Smith, 18, the fly half, was making his home debut.

Smith fuelled the rising expectation levels that surround him by creating first-half tries for Dave Ward and Charlie Walker. Yet in discussing his own milestone, Brown, 32, could not help but reflect on whether anyone from Smith’s generation will come close to accumulating that number of appearances.

Premiership Rugby is proposing to make the domestic season run

from September to June from 2020. For England players, this would become an 11-month season.

“It does worry me a bit seeing these 18-year-olds because I am not sure if they will make it as long as I have,” Brown said. “Especially the first few years, rugby was a lot easier when I started. It is so hard now. Look at the Premiership, it is the best league in the world in my eyes.

“But then you have Europe on that and cup competitions. They have a long few years ahead of them and whether they be able to continue to 30 is going to be tough.”