Borthwick's summer crusade

PAUL REES REPORTS AS ENGLAND PREPARE FOR THEIR TWO TESTS AGAINST ARGENTINA AND ONE AGAINST THE UNITED STATES

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IKE Brown announced his retirement last week at the age of 39 following a 20-year senior career, most of them spent at Harlequins before stints at Newcastle and Leicester.

He was a player who took on time as well as opponents and marked his last start for Leicester this season, at Gloucester in January, with a try, never one likely to go gently into the good night.

He was often typecast as a hard, uncompromising full-back who preferred to take contact than seek space, but that ignored his long stay at Harlequins, a club where running runs in the blood.

There was far more to a player who took no nonsense and spoke less as the announcement of his retirement, which was made by Leicester, showed. He made a long and eloquent statement, starting with his gratitude for what the game had given him, those he had worked with and his family to a message for those running the game.

“Club owners, league executives, national and international governing body senior leadership, my hope is that you come together, think beyond the short term and make the bold, unselfish decisions needed to allow rugby to thrive once again,” said Brown.

“We have a responsibility to protect and grow this incredible game so future generations can experience everything it has to offer, just as I have.

“To media figures, pundits, former players and commen-tators. I urge you to continue helping shift the negative narra-tive around rugby. Let’s talk more about the brilliant action, the big hits, the electric tries, the unbelievable skill, the fierce rivalries and the amazing charac-ters who make our game special.

“Rugby is full of passion, drama and world class athletes giving their all. By celebrating what makes our sport great, we can inspire the next generation, bring more fans through the gates, grow the game and remind everyone why we fell in love with it in the first place.”