Leon Brown (rugby union)

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Leon Brown
Full nameLeon Michael Brown
Date of birth (1996-10-26) 26 October 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth Newport, Wales
Height1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight126 kg (278 lb; 19 st 12 lb)
School St. Joseph's Roman Catholic High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop
Current team Dragons
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2015–2024 Dragons 78 (25)
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2015–2016 Wales U20 9 (5)
2017–2024 Wales 24 (0)

Leon Michael Brown (born 26 October 1996) is a Welsh former professional rugby union player who played as a prop for the Dragons and the Wales national team.

Contents

Club career

Brown began playing rugby for St Joseph's youth side, before attending St Joseph's Roman Catholic High School and Newport High School. [1] Brown was involved with the Dragons Academy, first appearing for the U16 side as a replacement against the Ospreys in 2012. [2] While playing for feeder club Cross Keys, Brown was named Player of the Month for October 2015. [3]

Prior to making his first team debut, Brown played for the Dragons Premiership Select team in the British and Irish Cup. [4]

On 12 November 2016, Brown made his debut for the Dragons, coming on as a replacement against Leicester Tigers in the Anglo-Welsh Cup. [5] He made his first start the following week, against the Scarlets. [4] He scored his first try on 27 October 2017 against the Ospreys. [6] Brown signed a contract extension in late 2017, having just been selected to the Welsh squad for the forthcoming Autumn series. [2]

Brown scored against the Ospreys on 4 January 2020, helping the Dragons to a 25–18 win. [7] He scored again against the Ospreys on 23 August 2020, as the Dragons came back to earn a last minute 20–20 draw. [8] Brown was named in the 2019–2020 Pro14 Dream Team, only the second time a Dragons player had been chosen in the team. [9]

Brown signed an extension with the Dragons in 2021, turning down interest from Premiership clubs Exeter and Gloucester. [10]

Having dealt with a nerve injury on and off for two years, he underwent surgery in 2022 to correct the issue. This led to nine additional months on the sidelines as he healed, but Brown made a successful return to fitness in early 2023, appearing off the bench for the Dragons against the Lions. [11] Another neck and shoulder injury caused him to miss the final match of the season. [12]

Ahead of the 2024–25 United Rugby Championship, Brown signed another extension with the Dragons. [13]

In late 2024, Brown had neck surgery to correct an ongoing issue. [14] On 7 January 2025, Brown announced his retirement due to injury. [15]

International career

Brown represented Wales at all age grades: U16, U18, and U20. [2] Brown was selected in the Wales U18 side that toured South Africa in 2015. [16] In 2016, Brown was part of the Wales U20 team that won a Six Nations Grand Slam. [17]

In August 2016 Brown was selected for the senior Wales training squad ahead of the Autumn international series. [18] He was included in the Wales players squad for the 2017 Autumn internationals. [19] Brown made his Wales senior debut on 10 November 2017 versus Australia as a second-half substitute. [20] The following week, he made his first start, as Wales beat Georgia. [21]

Brown was selected in the initial 42–man training squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and played in a summer friendly against Ireland, but did not make the final squad for the tournament. [22] [23] He was brought back into the Wales team by new head coach Wayne Pivac for the friendly against the Barbarians, and was named on the bench for the fixture. [24]

During the 2021 Six Nations Championship, Brown came off the bench in every match, winning the Championship title as well as the Triple Crown. He was selected for the 2021 Summer tests, starting in the final match against Argentina. [25]

Brown was initially selected for the 2022 Wales rugby union tour of South Africa, but ruled out due to injury. [26] This injury would further rule him out of the 2022 Autumn test matches. [27] Upon returning to fitness, Brown was selected in the squad for the 2023 Six Nations Championship. [28] Brown made one appearance, coming off the bench against Scotland on 11 February 2023. [29]

Brown was not selected for the extended Wales training squad ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. [30]

He returned to the Wales squad for the 2024 Six Nations Championship. [31] Brown started in the opening match against Scotland, but was substituted off at half time due to injury, and subsequently missed the remainder of the tournament. [32]

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References

  1. ↑ "Dragon News : Wales International makes donation to local school". dragonsrugby.wales. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Brown commits to Dragons". PlanetRugby. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  3. ↑ "October: Leon Brown - Welsh Rugby Union". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Brown to make his first start for Newport Gwent Dragons". Premiership Rugby. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  5. ↑ "Leicester Tigers versus Dragons Match Report on 12 November 2016 | Dragons". www.dragonsrugby.wales. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  6. ↑ "Ospreys 28-14 Dragons". BBC Sport. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  7. ↑ "Dragons inflict more misery on Ospreys". BBC Sport. 4 January 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  8. ↑ "Ospreys 20-20 Dragons". BBC Sport. 23 August 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  9. ↑ Kirwan, Chris (9 September 2020). "Powerful forward becomes the Dragons' first PRO14 Dream Team member since 2007". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  10. ↑ Kirwan, Chris (4 March 2021). "Wales star turns down European champions to stay with Dragons". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "Dragons star shocked by Six Nations call after return from neck surgery". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  12. ↑ "Dragons prop Brown to miss Scarlets game". BBC Sport. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  13. ↑ "Leon Brown stays on as Dragons confirm props for 2024-25". BBC Sport. 7 August 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  14. ↑ "Dragons sign prop Paula Latu as Leon Brown undergoes neck surgery". BBC Sport. 11 December 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  15. ↑ "Leon Brown: Wales and Dragons prop retires aged 28". BBC Sport. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  16. ↑ "Wales Under 18 determined to do well against South Africa - Welsh Rugby Union". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  17. ↑ "Wales U20 35-6 Italy U20". BBC Sport. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  18. ↑ Brown joins Wales training squad
  19. ↑ "Wales 2017 Under Armour Series Squad". The Milford Mercury. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  20. ↑ Brown Wales debut
  21. ↑ Thomas, Steffan (18 November 2017). "Wales have to cling on against Georgia but Hallam Amos try is enough". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  22. ↑ "Gatland names 42-man Wales training squad for Rugby World Cup". Six Nations Rugby. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  23. ↑ "Wales reveal RWC 2019 squad - Welsh Rugby Union". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  24. ↑ "Pivac starts Wales job with Baa-Baas win". BBC Sport. 30 November 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  25. ↑ "Wales squad for summer Tests 2021 – the team to play Argentina". Rugby World. 15 July 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  26. ↑ "Wales add prop Wainwright for injured Brown". BBC Sport. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  27. ↑ "Prop Brown ruled out of autumn internationals". BBC Sport. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  28. ↑ "Owens captains new 37-man Wales squad - Welsh Rugby Union". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  29. ↑ "Scotland blow away Wales to end Gatland hoodoo". BBC Sport. 11 February 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  30. ↑ "Hawkins left out of Wales World Cup squad". BBC Sport. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  31. ↑ "Six Nations 2024: Dafydd Jenkins to lead Wales as Louis Rees-Zammit heads to NFL". BBC Sport. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  32. ↑ James, Ben (6 February 2024). "Wales call up two new players as back rower released from Six Nations squad". Wales Online. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
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