Spencer Brown (born 11 July 1973, Eton, England) is a former professional and International

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

player. He played on the wing and at fullback. Spencer appeared on the ITV programme '' Long Lost Family'' in August 2018, and again in August 2019 for ITVs follow-up series Long Lost Family: What Happened Next.

Biography

Spencer Brown was a professional rugby player as a winger/fullback for nine years, with six of these being in the English premiership for

Richmond RFC Richmond Football Club is a rugby union club from Richmond, London. It is a founding member of the Rugby Football Union, and is one of the oldest football clubs (of any code). It fields teams in both men's and women's rugby; the men's first ...

and Bristol RFC. Brown has also represented the Royal Navy and Combined Services rugby teams. His professional career ended at Bedford Blues where he was later to become the strength and conditioning coach. He joined

in 1992 when they were in the third tier of English rugby. His professional debut for

came on 7 September 1997 in the Challenge Cup in the 34-18 defeat to Colomiers. He then moved to Bristol RFC after the 1998-1999 season - Bristol rugby fans first saw his defensive qualities when he made a bone crunching try saving tackle on

Tana Umaga Jonathan Ionatana Falefasa Umaga (; ; born 27 May 1973) is a New Zealand former rugby union footballer and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks. Since 2016 he has been coach of the Blues in the Super Rugby competition. He play ...

whilst playing against New Zealand for an England XV team at Ashton Gate. Brown was a member of the England Elite squad between 1998 and 2001 during which time he represented England at the World Sevens in Paris, England 'A' during three seasons, and won two full England caps against Australia and South Africa on the 1998 tour to the Southern Hemisphere. He joined the Royal Marines as a Musician in 1990 and served for 13 years. During this time he was based at RAF Northolt, Deal, London, Bristol and Portsmouth. He has a 1st class Honours Degree in Sport & Exercise Science from The

University of Northampton The University of Northampton is a public university based in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. It was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of a number of training colleges, and gained full university status as the University of Northampton in ...

, a Master's Degree in Strength & Conditioning from The

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, a PhD in Health Sciences from The

University of Warwick , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020� ...

, and has a solo pilot's license. He is a former Director of Peak Performance Center of Excellence Ltd, a Strength & Conditioning and Injury Rehabilitation Center based in Rugby, Warwickshire, and is a consultant in strength & conditioning at the Derby Nuffield Health Hospital. Brown has also worked with talented athletes as part of the Strength & Conditioning staff at the Derbyshire Institute of Sport. Spencer, along with fellow rugby player Mark Dunkley, are co-founders of RugbyFestUK. This annual event is designed to be the biggest celebration of the game staged outside of a major tournament and was first held on 22 – 24 September 2017,

Rugby, Warwickshire Rugby is a market town in eastern Warwickshire, England, close to the River Avon. In the 2021 census its population was 78,125, making it the second-largest town in Warwickshire. It is the main settlement within the larger Borough of Rugby whi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

with proceeds shared among five charities including the

Wooden Spoon Society Wooden Spoon is the children’s charity of rugby. It supports children and young people with disabilities or living in disadvantage in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Since 1983, Wooden Spoon has committed more than £29 million to more than 1,3 ...

. Spencer now runs a sports performance and injury rehabilitation business in Bermuda calle
Island Rehab Hub
a training instructor and Band member in the Royal Bermuda Regiment and is a player-coach for the Bermuda Police Rugby Football Club. He was reunited with his birth mother in early 2018, appeared on ITV's Long-Lost Family later that year to be reunited with his sister, and again in August 2019 for ITVs follow-up series Long Lost Family: What Happened Next.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Spencer Richmond F.C. players Bristol Bears players 1973 births Living people Rugby union wings English rugby union players England international rugby union players Black British sportsmen English people of Jamaican descent Rugby union players from Berkshire