England rugby look to Leicester success

Wed, May 4, 2016, 10:54 PM
AAP
by AAP
England Rugby look dejected after their World Cup loss to Australia last year. Photo: Getty Images
England Rugby look dejected after their World Cup loss to Australia last year. Photo: Getty Images

England fullback Mike Brown feels Leicester City's stunning Premier League football title triumph can inspire the national rugby union side to success in Australia.

Brown also believes England have their very own Claudio Ranieri in the shape of head coach Eddie Jones.

Ranieri's unfancied side shocked the sporting world by lifting the Premier League crown just a year after struggling against relegation.

Brown, 30, was part of the England team that completed the Six Nations grand slam earlier this year and hopes to be heading to Australia next month.

Mike Brown breaks a David Pocock tackle. Photo: Getty Images

He sees similar attributes to Foxes boss Ranieri in Australian Jones, who is rarely without a smile on his face in public, but beneath that veneer is a shrewd operator desperate for success.

"It just shows that if you have that drive to succeed, the willingness to work hard and that team ethos Leicester have, you can achieve anything," Brown told the Press Association on Wednesday.

"I'm a big believer in looking at other sports and taking what you can from it and that's the message you can take from Leicester.

"They may not be big names, until now, but still they've achieved what everyone wants to achieve by working hard, by playing as a team.

"We want to be the number one team in the world and that starts now with the Aussies. I'd love to be selected and have a crack at the number two team in the world and hopefully push them all the way."

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