Veteran All Blacks flyhalf Tony Brown’s playing career hangs in the balance, following a freak injury suffered while playing club rugby in Japan.
The 33-year-old injured his pancreas on October 25, while playing for Sanyo Wild Knights against Kintetsu Liners, Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported on its English-language website.
“I was blindsided and didn’t see it coming,” Brown said.
“I felt a bit uncomfortable for the rest of the game and then just after I started to feel rather sick, and developed a fever as my body started to react.”
Brown spent five weeks in hospital with a ruptured pancreas. He also developed acute pancreatitis.
“They [the doctors] said it was quite severe and they needed to operate to save my life,” Brown said.
“The operation went well and now it is a matter of recovering slowly and getting my body weight back up.”
He hoped the injury would not cause long term problems, but if it did and there was any risk to his health, he would not continue to play.
“I want to play again but the most important thing is to stay healthy. ”
Brown played 18 tests for the All Blacks, from 1999-2001.
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Shame. Not good news
Crickey. 😯
I really like tony. Seems a nice player and you don’t get 18 all black caps for being a slouch. Get well soon tony.
😯 😯 😯 Damn!!!!!!
I was expecting one of the Saffa unions to pull him out of the bag closer to the start of the season.
The original articla in the Daily Yomiuri
All-Black vet Brown lucky to be alive
Rich Freeman / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter
MAEBASHI–Tony Brown isn’t quite ready to call it a day. But the former All Black admitted Sunday he won’t play again if there is any risk to his health.
The 33-year-old suffered a freak injury on Oct. 25 playing for Sanyo Wild Knights against Kintetsu Liners that had doctors fearing for his life and saw the Kiwi spend five weeks in hospital.
“I suffered a ruptured pancreas and developed acute pancreatitis,” Brown said before the game against IBM Big Blue.
“They [the doctors] said it was quite severe and they needed to operate to save my life. Another guy in the ICU with me died from the same thing, though that was disease related.”
Brown suffered the injury in the first 20 minutes of the game but played on unaware of the damage done.
“I was blindsided and didn’t see it coming,” he said. “I wasn’t prepared and was in an awkward position. I felt a bit uncomfortable for the rest of the game and then just after I started to feel rather sick, and developed a fever as my body started to react.”
Brown went straight to a hospital in Gunma where he underwent surgery, but then had to be transferred to a Tokyo hospital once the full extent of his injuries were discovered.
“Pancreatitis is usually disease related, not the result of trauma,” Brown said. “But the operation went well and now it is a matter of recovering slowly and getting my body weight back up.”
The former Otago favorite lost 13 kilograms, is on a restricted diet and still has to have his blood tested every two or three days.
“Long term I have no idea,” said Brown, regarded as one of the toughest flyhalves to have played the game. “Hopefully there will be no long term problems. I want to play again but the most important thing is to stay healthy. If I recover fully then I will think about it.”
Some of browns current S14 Stats.
99 Matches: Stormers (2008: 8); Sharks (2006: 8); Highlanders (1996-2004: 83)
Joint Leader of the longest S14 Career with Johan Ackermann at 13 Seasons.
3rd most Conversions in a S14 career:
160 Matthew Burke – New South Wales Waratahs
157 Daniel Carter – Canterbury Crusaders
143 Tony Brown – Stormers (0); Sharks (11); Highlanders (132)
2nd most Penalties kicked in a S14 career
202 Andrew Mehrtens – Canterbury Crusaders
186 Tony Brown – Stormers (0); Sharks (15); Highlanders (171)
5th highest career points scorer in the S14
990 Andrew Mehrtens Canterbury Crusaders – 87 games: 11.38 ave
959 Matthew Burke – NSW Waratahs – 79 games: 12.14 ave
925 Daniel Carter – Crusaders – 69 games: 13.41 ave
913 Stirling Mortlock – Brumbies – 105 games: 8.76 ave
902 Tony Brown – Stormers (12); Sharks(73); Highlanders (817): 98 games: 9.20ave
700 David Holwell – Blues (24)- Hurricanes (676) – 82 games: 8.54 ave