Manu Tuilagi has revealed how he came seriously close to retiring while in his early 20s following a brutal groin injury.
He told Sam Tuitupou, Dan Leo & Simon Kidney: “For me the worst one was when I did my groin. I split my pubis. That’s the one when I was out for 16 months on and off.
“That was the toughest one for me, I definitely learned a lot there because I didn’t handle it very well.
“It was tough because there was no time frame on it. The injury is not very common.”
He continued: “I went to see the surgeon, and he said that the injury only happens to women giving birth.
“He said, in terms of time frame, that no one knows. There is no operation for it because they would have to tie up the pubis with wire, which means you won’t be able to run because it would be fixed solid.
“The pubis is just like a normal joint, it moves quite freely, so he just said you can have glucose injections to help stick it back together.
EDITORS PICKS:
- England captain Owen Farrell ranks his top five rugby players
- The current 36-man Lions squad, according to the bookies
- Piers Morgan picks his all-time greatest rugby XV
- Every Premiership club’s best player out of contract in 2021
“Only and rehab was going to help, but at the time it was really tough, I couldn’t handle it.
“Having my missus with me was a big part, if she wasn’t there then I don’t think I would have carried on playing rugby. It was that tough. I remember one night I told my missus that I was done.
“It was a tough one but I’ve learned now that injuries are a part of rugby and you can’t let yourself get too down about it because that’s not going to help the situation or change what has happened.
“You’ve got to look forward and do everything you can to comeback.”
The Red Card Club is available on Spotify, and you can also follow on the website: redcarders.com.
The Premiership’s three highest earning players in every position
Back-three:
- Charles Piutau (Bristol Bears) – £1m
- Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs) – £550k
- Mike Brown (Harlequins) – £300k
Centre:
- Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs) – £450k
- Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks) -£350k
- Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby) – £325k
