Browne lifts lid on Brive turbulence

BRIVE’S Irish lock Damien Browne has admitted he’ll be glad to see the back of “the most difficult year of my professional career” after he lifted the lid on the turmoil endured off the field by Munster’s Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final opponents.

The French Top 14 outfit have struggled to escape the ‘crisis club’ moniker after a horror end to 2010, which saw forwards coach Christophe Laussucq sacked, before head coach Ugo Mola requested the backing of the players to continue in his post.

Conflicting reports of the players’ decision added to the misery, coming against the backdrop a relegation battle and the unwanted attention of French rugby’s financial watchdog, the DNACG.