Gloucester’s Alex Brown forced to retire

Gloucester lock Alex Brown has today announced his retirement from professional rugby due to a shoulder injury.
The 33-year-old, who made 227 Premiership appearances for the Cherry and Whites in his ten years at Kingsholm, suffered the injury in the opening round of the season against Northampton.
After nearly three months of rest and rehabilitation, it was evident the nerve damage to his shoulder was significantly more serious than initially thought, and he underwent complex surgery in November to ascertain the severity of the injury in the hope that it would repair the damage.
Following the intense operation however, Brown was told by physicians that, although the nerve-transfer would, in time, deliver an improvement of movement in day-to-day life, he would no longer be able to play professional rugby and must retire with immediate effect.
Brown said: “It’s stating the obvious but I’m totally gutted. I was so looking forward to this season and beyond.
“When the surgeon came in after the operation and told me that I would not be able to play rugby again, the news hit me hard and has been tough to deal with, especially as there has been a new dawn at Gloucester under Nigel Davies and I so wanted to be part of it.
“I’ve kept myself involved on match days, which has been a diversion but it’s obviously not the same as playing.”