It’s a big name from CA Brive who has to retire from sport following a nasty injury. Mitch Lees, the Australian second line, must stop rugby. The announcement was made this Friday evening by the club.
46 matches in Black and White
Mitch Lees arrived in 2019 at CA Brive. He came from England where he had played in two Premiership finals with Exeter, including a victory against Wasps in 2017. The player had established himself in the second line by starting at each meeting contested during the first two seasons with Brive. Last season was a bit of a hassle for the Australian with a hamstring injury, then this nasty outing after an ankle injury in the derby on February 12.
In a press release, the player thanks “the supporters who welcomed me with my family and also the whole city of Brive, whether at school, in sports clubs and in all the friendships we have created.”
“We will never forget our stay here. I am very disappointed that my career ended like this. I’m sorry for the lack of information over the past few months, it was a long and difficult process. I did not choose to retire, the seriousness of my injury obliges me to do so.
A long and ongoing recovery
The Australian second line also explains that he is still recovering despite the contributions of the CAB medical team and the team of surgeons at the Toulouse hospital. CAB President Simon Gillham endorses him in the statement:“Mitch is highly appreciated by his teammates and by the public for his thoroughness, his combativeness and his leadership. He will always be “at home” in Brive, especially since his family will soon celebrate the arrival of an Australian-Brivite baby.” Good news that will surely ease his pain of having to leave his teammates in the middle of the season.