Now fully recovered from his concussion, Mike Brown could prove to be the key for England at the upcoming World Cup according to teammate for club and country, Marland Yarde.

Brown was originally knocked out in England’s Six Nations victory over Italy in February and has not played since suffering headaches following the game with France in March.

However, the full-back was cleared of concussion symptoms a month ago and is now part of head coach Stuart Lancaster’s 50-man World Cup training camp.

The 29-year-old has made 37 appearances for his country to date, making the No.15 jersey his own.

And as England gear up for a home World Cup, fellow Harlequin Yarde believes Brown’s impact can’t be underestimated.

“People say Mike is angry all the time but he’s just got a lot of grit about him and he’s very courageous!” explained Yarde, who was speaking as part of the England Team at the official launch of the Canterbury England Rugby World Cup kit.

“He throws his body anywhere and he’s also a very good runner as well – a lot better than I think people realise.

“He’s a very good player, he has a great understanding of the game and his all-round skills are pretty good as well.

“He’s been playing really well for England the last few years and I’m sure he’ll want to train as well as he can to bring his best form into this World Cup because there is no bigger occasion than a home World Cup.”

Brown will need to be back to his best if he is to help England qualify from their ‘group of death’ come September which features Wales, Australia, Fiji and Uruguay.

Only two teams will go through to the quarter-finals and while qualification will be easier said than done, Yarde is convinced could actually help the Red Rose as the tournament progresses.

“It doesn’t really bother us playing the likes of Australia and Wales in the group stage because to win the World Cup you’ve got to beat the best teams,” he added.

“You play in the group stage or you play them in the quarters or semis, it doesn’t really matter.

“You don’t want to be undercooked like you can be when you play a tough game after a couple of easier ones, so it might help us playing those sides in the group stage.

“Playing against teams of that sort of magnitude just means you have to be at your best and there is no better way of starting off.”

Marland Yarde was appearing alongside his England team mates at the launch of the innovative England Rugby World Cup shirt #CommittedtoEngland. Visit Canterbury.com