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15th January 2022
01:43pm GMT

Gavin Duffy pictured in Challenge Cup action for Harlequins in 2004. (Credit; Pat Murphy/SPORTSFILE)[/caption]
"Dean Richards was in charge at the time, and Dean very much allowed the younger guys to get stuck into the older lads. "Gavin Duffy was the man in the 15 shirt at the time and I was this hungry, young guy that was getting riled up by Dean before every session. He wanted us to get stuck into those older guys, especially as we were going down to Division One, the Championship now, that season. He wanted to see if they wanted it, and if we really wanted it, and wanted to get that shirt. We were massively competitive, as academy players, to do that."[caption id="attachment_246743" align="aligncenter" width="639"]
Mike Brown and England captain Chris Robshaw sing their anthem before a Six Nations match. (Credit: Getty Images)[/caption]
"Gavin was great with me, though," said Brown. "Back then, I was terrible at the high ball. Deano and his coaching staff told me, in no uncertain terms, that I would never play for them unless I sorted myself out under high ball situations. "I knew how good Gavin was with the high ball, and his Gaelic football background. I'd just watch him under high balls. It was one of his strengths. I just tapped into his knowledge and expertise on that. "He would take me for one-on-one sessions after training, and stuff like that, to help me do that. Now that is a massive part of my game. And if it wasn't for him, being willing to do that, I wouldn't be in the position I am today. I owe him a lot, in terms of those high ball skills."In practical terms, Brown says Duffy thought him about his hand placement - hands being above the eye-line - before he caught high balls, and quickly bringing the ball into his chest. "I still give that advice, that Gavin gave me, to young back three players now. They have often never been taught that, which is incredible." Such was Brown's impact in his first senior season, helped no doubt with advice from the older fullback, that Duffy returned to Connacht in the summer of 2006. He would go on to play another 154 times with his home province, including a couple of tight European duels with Brown and Harlequins.
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