I never took a backward step ... I never gave up

MIKE Brown's 20-year playing career, which will come to an end this month, is remarkable not just for its longevity but his consistency. The 72-cap full-back, an England record, never let his standards dip, as grittily competitive now as when he started out.

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Paul Rees talks to Mike Brown, the gritty full-back who played 72 times for his country and never let his standards slip.

"The main thing for me, whether I was playing for club or country, was to show the passion I felt in pulling on the jersey," said Brown, who spent the bulk of his playing days with Harlequins before stints at Newcastle and Leicester.

"It was about commitment, aggression, competitiveness and never taking a backward step or giving up. I wanted to show all that to the people who were watching because if I had been in their place it would have been what I expected to see."

Brown was 35 when he was released by Harlequins, the club he had joined as a teenager. If they thought he had reached his end point, he knew better and is not retiring because he feels that at the age of 39 he can no longer compete for the starting jersey at Leicester.

"It is not because I do not think I can still do it physically," he said. "It can be a grind mentally when you are not playing, but other opportunities have arisen. I still feel I have a value-my last game was against Gloucester (in January) and I thought I played pretty well.

"Maybe the finances of the game mean players of my age are a luxury at a time of smaller squads. We cost a lot and it is not down to the speed of matches. Ben Youngs and Dan Cole are also in their last seasons with Leicester and their performances have not dropped off.

"Freddie Steward has been playing well in my position at Leicester and Michael (Cheika, head coach) likes to keep the same team pretty much every week. Who am I to argue with someone of his experience?

"It is frustrating but I have been training every week and doing everything I can to get in there. I did not expect to play every week, but rotation is not his philosophy. The commute takes its toll after 20 years and I have found myself motivated more by other things."