Rugby giant stands out for faith

Peter Browne spent a lifetime standing out even before he downed six pints of rancid milk in front of a baying rugby mob.

The usual testosterone-fuelled initiation ceremony for Durham’s university team was to gulp half a dozen glasses of extra-strong cider. But for someone who’d reached 6ft 7in in his teens and grown up as the vicar’s son, sticking out was second nature – so six pints of the white stuff it was.

He won the respect of his teammates and confirmed his ability to embrace the spiritual alongside sport.

That’s reflected in the former Harlequins, Newcastle Falcons, London Welsh and Ulster forward’s striking views on the game he made a career out of.  

“There’s no reason why a rugby game can’t be viewed as a worship session,” Browne told premierchristianity.com.

He takes a more balanced view of a game which demands much from its players.

“The world says you are what you do, you are how you perform. If you base your identity on your performance, it’s topsy-turvy.

“But if it doesn’t go to plan, if I’m deselected, injured, we don’t win the cup, none of that defines me.

“What you do on the pitch is good and important, but it doesn’t define you. You’re defined by Jesus.”

He made his own commitment to follow Jesus in his early teens. Despite his upbringing meaning he “always had an awareness of God”, it wasn’t until he attended a summer camp that he entered into a personal relationship with Christ.

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