Mike Brown to retire at end of the season

[FKAS]

Mike Brown will retire from professional rugby at the conclusion of the 24/25 season.

The 39-year-old will bring down the curtain on a 20-year professional career which has seen him make 430 club appearances for Harlequins, Newcastle Falcons, and Leicester Tigers.

Brown also made 72 Test appearances for England and featured on 13 occasions for England ‘A’ or England XV teams. He has played twice for the Barbarians.

Including age-grade games for England Under-21s and non-capped games for both Harlequins and Tigers, Brown will retire having played in more than 530 matches and scoring 760 points which includes almost 150 tries.

His 280 Premiership appearances is the fourth most of all time in the English competition behind Richard Wigglesworth (322), Danny Care (294), and Alex Goode (281), while his 72 Premiership tries is the eighth most of all-time in the competition.

Brown made his senior debut in the 2005/06 season, while still a member of the Harlequins Academy, and later that season helped England Under-21s to a Six Nations Grand Slam.

He established himself as a starting player for the London club in the 2006/07 campaign and finished the season with selection in the Premiership Team of the Year and a Test debut in the summer tour of South Africa.

Brown’s international career included three Six Nations titles and, in 2014, was named Player of the Championship. He remains the only England player to have ever won the award.

He was also selected in England’s 2015 Rugby World Cup squad and played in all four games for the Test side at the home tournament.

For Harlequins, Brown won two Premierships (2011/12 and 2020/21) and the European Challenge Cup (2010/11). He also reached the Challenge Cup Final again in the 2015/16 season. ‘Quins also won the Anglo-Welsh Cup during his tenure, in the 2012/13 season and were runners-up in the 2019/20 competition.

Brown left Harlequins at the conclusion of the 2020/21 season and joined Newcastle, who he made 16 appearances for in one season.

After missing the start of the 2022/23 campaign, he joined Leicester midway through the season and has made 32 appearances for Tigers and scored eight tries. His debut was in February 2023, starting at full-back and scoring a try in 24-18 win over Saracens at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

On his decision to retire, Brown penned a letter, which reads:
After a great deal of reflection, the time feels right to step away from professional rugby and officially retire from the game that has shaped my life in so many ways.

It’s impossible to fully express what rugby has meant to me. From the very beginning, it gave me purpose, drive, and belonging—and instilled values that have shaped who I am on and off the pitch. For more than two decades, I’ve been lucky enough to live out my dream, and I’m incredibly proud of everything I’ve experienced and achieved throughout this journey.

There have been unforgettable highs - those moments at Twickenham, hard-fought wins with Harlequins, the honour of pulling on the England shirt, and representing the history and tradition of Leicester Tigers. And there have been challenges too, moments that tested me deeply. But even the lowest points helped me grow in ways I never imagined. Every single moment - good or tough - has shaped me into the person I am today.

To every teammate, every coach who believed in me, and the members of staff I’ve worked alongside - thank you. You challenged me, supported me, and helped me become better. I’ve learned so much from you all, and I’ve made friendships that will last a lifetime.

To the fans, your support and your energy has meant everything. Whether I was a player you liked or not, I hope you always saw the passion, commitment, and pride I felt in representing your club and our country. I never took that privilege for granted.

A special thank you to my performance mentor of 18 years, Margot Wells. Your continuous belief, guidance, and support made such a significant difference in all I’ve achieved in the game.

To my family…

Dad, thank you for introducing me to this great game. All the times spent throwing a rugby ball around the garden, all the car journeys back and forth to training and games. The journey wouldn’t have started without you.

To my incredible wife, Eliza, your love, strength, and support have been and continue to be the foundation of everything. The sacrifices you’ve made, your encouragement, your belief in me - it’s no coincidence my career reached new heights after meeting you. To my amazing children, Jax and Sienna, you won’t quite understand yet, but you’ve been my greatest motivation and will continue to be in everything I do. As you grow, I hope I can be an example of what hard work, resilience, and dedication can achieve.

None of this would have been possible without you all.

Rugby has given me more than I could ever have imagined, but now it’s time for a new chapter. I’m excited for what’s ahead: continuing to work in high-performing environments, building great teams, pushing boundaries, and helping others grow.

To the leaders running our 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. 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 everyone with a significant voice in the game…

Media figures, pundits, former players, commentators, I urge you to continue helping shift the negative narrative 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 characters 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.

The boots are coming off- but the lessons, values, and love for the game remain. So it’s goodbye from Mike Brown the rugby player, but hello to a new chapter filled with energy, purpose, and passion for what’s next.

Thank you, for everything.

Mike

[Danno]

Great career, great player (wish he'd passed a bit more!) Great letter from MB - really like his nods to the governing bodies and the media.

Would be interested to see him pop up on TNT or somewhere as a pundit to see if he cuts it

[Banquo]

Wuss will be gutted

Made the most of his ability, top career.

[Danno]

Wuss will be gutted

[Stom]

I know it's strange to have that particular game as my favourite game of rugby, ever, but the bloodgate match was incredible. 1 try all game, and who scored it? Of course he bloody did. That day, 2 men stood out above everyone else for me as a fan in the stands. BOD, of course, who was insanely good. But also Mike Brown. Who was tenacious, ferocious, and an absolute brick wall.

I think that game epitomised everything about Brown. He fought tooth and nail for the whole time, he stepped up when we were 14 and a half players, he completely outshone his opposite number (a player considered by most to be his superior)...

But in the end, he fell just short.

A true warrior.

[twitchy]

Always punched well above his weight.

[Which Tyler]

Always punched well above his weight.

Punched below it too - just liked punching things


Seriously though - fantastic career, and good to see him going out on his own terms.
Brown, Care & Youngs all bowing out together feels like a real changing of the guard

[Stom]

Always punched well above his weight.

Punched below it too - just liked punching things


Seriously though - fantastic career, and good to see him going out on his own terms.
Brown, Care & Youngs all bowing out together feels like a real changing of the guard

Yeah, with Marler having retired, Will Collier is the only one left from the 2012 title winning team And he's in France...

[Mikey Brown]

Well obviously I'm a fan. I thought he struggled to shake some unfair elements of his reputation and was really great around 2014. Tried to find a highlights video without terrible music on it, but seems that doesn't exist.

Still gutted for him the way it ended with Quins. The Gustard situation and that crazy red card. I'm glad he managed to claw something back with Leicester and show his worth there for a few seasons more.

[p/d]

Heart of a lion. Hard as and a great reader of the game.

My type of player

[Oakboy]

Great advert for rugby. I'll never forgive that horrible Australian for moving him to the wing when he was our best FB by far, at the time.

[Banquo]

My type of player

Bit slow with a shaved head, figures

[Oakboy]

My type of player

Bit slow with a shaved head, figures

Does he drink dry martini chasers, then?

[Mellsblue]

My type of player

Bit slow with a shaved head, figures

Does he drink dry martini chasers, then?

Fan of Kate Moss and brilliant white tracksuit tops.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Proper top, top bloke! Great career! Model professional! All the best to him.