England’s Mike Brown has hit back at the fan who abused him and Joe Marler following the second Test defeat in Bloemfontein and says no one should ever accuse him or any other professional of showing a lack of effort.
Brown and Marler were approached after the game by an irate England supporter loudly bemoaning England’s successive Test defeats in South Africa. The Harlequins full-back still felt strongly about the incident four days later and also revealed he no longer uses Twitter because of the abuse he receives on social media.
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Increasing frustration on all sides is a recurring theme whenever the national team are losing but the combative Brown does not regret challenging the fan who was “screaming obscenities” at him and “saying I wasn’t trying hard enough” after England’s 23-12 defeat on Saturday.
“I just told him to shut up and walked off,” said Brown, who has scored a try in each of the two Tests to date. “He was an England supporter. He had a flag and kit and all sorts. I was very happy with my reaction; I’m not a robot, I’m a human being.
“He can say he doesn’t like me as a player; that’s fine, that’s his opinion. But don’t ever say I’m not trying because people can see how much I put in on the field.
“Even if I make mistakes or don’t play very well, there’s never been a game in my career where I haven’t put 100% effort in. I don’t think anyone could ever say that about me.”
The 32-year-old also believes spending significant amounts of money to follow England abroad does not give supporters the right to swear at players or criticise them unfairly: “It surprised me that someone – a supporter who would have watched England over a number of years – could say I don’t try. I just think it’s rude and way off the mark.
“Not once have I ever taken a rugby field and not put 100% effort in and it’s the same with my teammates. You can see how much it means to myself and other players to play for England.”
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Social media is also proving an increasingly hostile environment. “I don’t use Twitter any more for that reason,” Brown said. “It’s not really feedback, it’s abuse. It is very hard for professional sportspeople when they are getting that sort of thing on social media. Some people are more thick-skinned and they can take it. I choose not to.”
The England forwards coach, Steve Borthwick, dismissed a suggestion by Warren Gatland that Wales and England are “poles apart” in terms of their readiness for next year’s World Cup. “I respect him as a coach but our recent record against Wales is a good one,” Borthwick said. “It’s only a short time ago that we beat them.”
The second-row forward Nick Isiekwe is unlikely to play in the final Test in Cape Town on Saturday after injuring a hand in training.