DRAGONS tighthead prop Leon Brown has revealed he played with a debilitating injury that sapped his strength for almost two seasons before neck surgery.
The 26-year-old from Newport came back with a bang on Sunday with a powerful performance off the bench against the Lions.
The strong-running front rower, who now links up with Wales for the Six Nations, played a huge part in the fight back from 30-5 down to 30-25 in the Challenge Cup.
It was Brown’s first appearance since April after he went under the knife to solve a nerve issue that led to frequent stingers.
“It’s been tough. I had nine months out but I’ve been playing with it for the best part of two seasons,” said the strong-running front rower.
“It was a recurring thing, I would play and then need two or three months out. We made the decision last summer to get it sorted, it took a bit longer than we thought it would to get my strength back but I feel good now.
“It was a nerve issue with my neck that was affecting my right arm – and my binding arm is important at the scrum!
“Every time I would put a shot in or carry I would get stingers and if I got repeated ones then I would lose strength.”
Brown made four carries, five tackles and scrummed strongly on his return to action.
The prop had targeted a comeback in December but a setback led to head coach Dai Flanagan removing any timeframes.
“I travelled to South Africa and was pushing to play out there,” said Brown. “I think I was doing too much and that set me back a little bit.
“Dai and [strength and conditioning coach] Dan Baugh sat me down and told me to relax, get my strength back and said they wouldn’t put any pressure on me.
“I had a solid four or five weeks mainly in the gym working on my strength and doing extras. That’s come back, so the approach worked.”
Brown was included in Warren Gatland’s Six Nations squad despite his inactivity and, with fellow tighthead Dillon Lewis injured, could feature in the opener against Ireland a week on Saturday.
“I was as surprised as anyone. It’s always an honour to get a call-up and the last time I played was the last Six Nations, so it’s been a while and I’m nervous again,” said the 22-times capped prop.
“I am looking forward to strapping up and getting into it. I’ve got to work hard, that’s all I can do. Just graft and train as I like to play.
“I am under no illusions, I am not where I need to be or want to be. I need to look after the body and hopefully put some performances together.
“If playing Ireland happens then I will be buzzing for it, if not then I’ll keep my head down and keep working.”
Brown is in Test camp but hopes he gets the chance to work towards match fitness with another Dragons outing against Glasgow at Rodney Parade on Saturday in the United Rugby Championship.
“I just want to play rugby,” he said. “If I’m allowed to play next week I’d love it, if not I’ll just keep my nut down.”
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