Abbie Brown (rugby union)

{{Infobox rugby biography

| image = Abbie Brown at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.jpg

| caption = Abbie Brown at the 2022 Commonwealth Games

| full_name = Abigail Brown

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|4|10|df=y}}

| birth_place =Exeter, England

| height = 1.76 m

| weight = 71 kg

| ru_position = Centre

| years1 =2020–

| clubs1 =Loughborough Lightning

| apps1 =-

| points1 =0

| repyears1 = 2015

| repteam1 = England

| repcaps1 = 5

| reppoints1 = 0

|repsevensyears1=2015–

|repsevensteam1=England

|repsevenscomp1=

|repsevensyears2=2016–

|repsevensteam2=Great Britain

|repsevenscomp2=

| medals =

{{MedalCountry|{{ENG}}}}

{{MedalCountry|{{GBR2}}}}

{{Medal|Gold|2023 Kraków–Małopolska|{{nowrap|Team competition}}}}

}}

Abigail Brown (born 10 April 1996) is an English rugby union and sevens player. She competed for Great Britain at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics.

Early life and career

Brown was born in Exeter and started playing rugby at the age of six for her local club Cullompton RFC.{{Cite web |last=Shepard |first=Kit |date=2022-07-18 |title=Abbie Brown: Ten Things you should know about the England sevens back |url=https://www.rugbyworld.com/players/who-is-abbie-brown-ten-things-you-should-know-about-the-england-sevens-back-144135 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Rugby World |language=en-US}} She attended Clyst Vale Community College in Broadclyst, Devon.

Rugby career

Brown made her England fifteens test debut against Wales during the 2015 Six Nations.{{Cite web |date=2020-09-09 |title=England 7’s duo Brown and Rowland join Lightning ahead of 2020/2021 season |url=https://www.lboro.ac.uk/sport/news/2020/september/england-7s-duo-brown-and-rowland-join-lightning/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Loughborough University |language=en}} She later made her international sevens debut for the England sevens team in the Rugby Europe Grand Prix Series.

She made her World Sevens Series debut during the 2015–16 season and scored seven tries over the series. She had secured a full-time contract at that time.{{Cite web |last=Palmer |first=Joe |date=2016-06-16 |title=Destination – Rio? Abbie hoping for Olympic sevens selection after whirlwind rugby year with England |url=https://www.hartpury.ac.uk/news/2016/06/destination-rio-abbie-hoping-for-olympic-sevens-selection-after-whirlwind-rugby-year-with-england/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227093953/https://www.hartpury.ac.uk/news/2016/06/destination-rio-abbie-hoping-for-olympic-sevens-selection-after-whirlwind-rugby-year-with-england/ |archive-date=27 February 2020 |access-date=2016-08-13 |website=gloucestershirelive.co.uk |publisher=}}

She was named in Great Britain's sevens team to the 2016 Summer Olympics.{{Cite web |url=https://www.rio2016.com/en/athlete/abbie-brown |title=BROWN Abbie |website=Rio 2016 |access-date=2016-08-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806041336/https://www.rio2016.com/en/athlete/abbie-brown |archivedate=2016-08-06 }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/exeter-s-abbie-brown-has-potential-to-create-history-at-rio-2016-olympic-games/story-29576085-detail/story.html |title=Exeter's Abbie Brown has potential to create history at Rio 2016 Olympic Games |last= |first= |date=2016-08-02 |website=Exeter Express and Echo.co.uk |publisher= |access-date=2016-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803185204/http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/exeter-s-abbie-brown-has-potential-to-create-history-at-rio-2016-olympic-games/story-29576085-detail/story.html |archive-date=2016-08-03 |url-status=dead }} She scored twice in their quarter-final match against Fiji to help her side reach the semi-finals.{{Cite web |url=http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/exeter-s-abbie-brown-helps-team-gb-through-to-semi-finals-of-rugby-sevens-at-rio-olympics/story-29596426-detail/story.html |title=Exeter's Abbie Brown helps Team GB through to semi-finals of rugby sevens at Rio Olympics |last= |first= |date=2016-08-08 |website=Exeter Express and Echo.co.uk |publisher= |access-date=2016-08-13 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{Cite news |date=2018-03-26 |title=Commonwealth Games: Abbie Brown to captain England women's rugby sevens |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/commonwealth-games/43542078 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-13 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}

She captained England for the 2017–18 World Sevens Series and led them again the following season.

Brown won a bronze medal with England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. In July 2018, she led England at the Sevens World Cup that was held in San Francisco. Although England were knocked out in the last 16 by Ireland, they did go on to secure the Challenge Trophy.

In 2020, She signed with Loughborough Lightning in the Premier 15s.{{Cite web |date=2023-09-22 |title=Abbie Brown signs new Lightning contract |url=https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/womens-rugby/news/abbie-brown-signs-new-loughborough-lightning-contract |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Northampton Saints |language=en}} In 2021, she co-captained Great Britain, together with England team-mate Megan Jones, at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.{{Cite web |date=2021-11-18 |title=Abbie Brown even more determined to win an Olympic medal in Paris after rollercoaster Games in Tokyo |url=https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/abbie-brown-even-more-determined-to-win-olympic-medal-in-paris-after-rollercoaster-games-in-tokyo-173227966.html |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Yahoo Sports |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |date=2021-06-18 |title=Team GB announces rugby sevens squads ahead of Tokyo 2020 |url=https://www.olympics.com/en/news/team-gb-announces-rugby-sevens-squads-ahead-of-tokyo-2020 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=www.olympics.com}}

Brown returned as England's captain for the remainder of the 2021–22 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-30 |title=Great Britain's women ready to start new chapter in Dubai |url=https://www.world.rugby/news/777808/great-britain-ready-to-start-new-chapter-in-dubai |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=www.world.rugby}} She was named again as England's co-captain with Megan Jones for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-06 |title=Rugby Sevens squads selected to represent Team England at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games |url=https://teamengland.org/news/rugby-sevens-squads-selected-to-represent-team-england-at-birmingham-2022-commonwealth-games |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=teamengland.org |language=en}} They also co-captained England again in September at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, South Africa.{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=Jennie |date=2022-09-06 |title=England squads for Rugby World Cup Sevens named |url=http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2022/09/06/england-squads-for-rugby-world-cup-sevens-named/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=4 The Love Of Sport |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |date=2022-08-09 |title=Everything you need to know about Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 |url=https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/news/704409/everything-you-need-to-know-about-rugby-world-cup-sevens-2022 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Women's and Men's Rugby World Cup |language=en}}

She extended her contract with Loughborough Lightning in September 2023. She missed the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris due to a hamstring injury.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-21 |title=GB Sevens captain Abbie Brown 'heartbroken' to miss Olympics |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/articles/c99940r9edvo |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20160825202212/http://www.englandrugby.com/england/england-women/squads/abigail-brown/ RFU Player Profile]
{{World Rugby Sevens Series player|womens/54582}}
{{Team GB|nz4dfVgPUGMp0QBzINupd}}
{{Team England|abbie-brown}}
{{Olympics.com|abbie-brown}}
{{Olympedia|130258}}
{{2018 Commonwealth Games profile|rugby-sevens/athlete-profile-n6030007-abigail-brown|Abigail Brown}}

Category:1996 births

Category:Living people

Category:Rugby sevens players at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Category:English rugby sevens players

Category:Olympic rugby sevens players for Great Britain

Category:Great Britain women's international rugby sevens players

Category:Commonwealth Games medallists in rugby sevens

Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England

Category:Rugby sevens players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

Category:Rugby sevens players at the 2020 Summer Olympics

Category:England international women's rugby sevens players

Category:Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games