Broken-neck lock now a Bok
JD Schickerling’s makes an amazing comeback from horror injury to Test match rugby
When JD Schickerling makes his Test debut on the Springboks’ current tour to Britain and France‚ it will complete one of the most remarkable comeback stories in rugby. Four years ago Schickerling lay in a Pretoria hospital bed‚ unsure if he would walk again‚ let alone play rugby. When he was stretchered off the Loftus Versfeld pitch after sustaining a broken neck playing for Western Province U21s against the Blue Bulls‚ everYthing hung in the balance. The injury was the result of a dangerous tackle from opposite number Marvin Orie. Orie was cited after the game and received a one-week suspension‚ but it was accepted that the incident was not intentional.
Doctors said Schickerling was 2mm from being paralysed. But they also asked if he would like to play rugby again because science and operating techniques could make it happen. Schickerling would have been forgiven if he had decided that coming away with the ability to function normally was enough. It is testament to his courag...
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