Mike Brown says brutal knock Down Under for England could be why he was forced into hospital with blood poisoning this season
Harlequins full-back lost 6kg after getting septicaemia, but he's piled the weight back on ahead of return
MIKE BROWN says a brutal knock Down Under may be what hospitalised him with blood poisoning.
The Harlequins full-back contracted septicaemia two weeks before the season began, losing 6kg.
It strikes when the immune system goes into overdrive trying to heal injury or infection — and can be deadly.
Having piled the weight back on Brown, 31, will play at Exeter for his first start this term tomorrow.
He said: “I ended up in hospital for five days. I had no lacerations or bites.
“It could have been a trauma from the Australia tour — I was quite bruised.
“I woke up with a pain in my shoulder. I thought it was just a bang in training then started feeling ill and was sent for an MRI scan and blood tests.
“I was cold, with shivers and bug symptoms.
“I didn’t know what was going on. My haemoglobin was down, white blood cells down, liver down. I’m ready to go now.”
Brown has started all nine of Eddie Jones’ games in charge of the Red Rose but is not getting carried away with their unbeaten run in 2016.
He said: “It’s only a start. Achieving things is winning multiple Grand Slams, beating southern hemisphere teams all the time, and being world No 1.”
