LIST: 5 Rugby Stars who played through serious injuries

Saturday, 19 December 2020 at 15:02

byRugby Rucker

Injuries are a part and parcel of the game, and players accept that sometimes the body cannot keep up with the physical nature of rugby.

However, in some occasions, footballers seem to disregard their health and continue playing even when they're not 100% fit.

In terms of serious injuries though only a handful of players have managed to stay on the pitch, here are five such examples...

1. RICHIE MCCAW (BROKEN FOOT)

The two-time Rugby World Cup-winning All Blacks captain, and most capped international of all time, had to hide a broken foot from the media, his teammates and even his coach, then Graham Henry, during the 2011 RWC. McCaw would not only play the rest of the semi-final, but also the final a week later and in doing so eked out a famous victory against France to end a 24-year wait for World Cup glory in New Zealand.

2. JOHNNY SEXTON (Fractured wrist, broken arm and ruptured ankle tendons)

The fly-half entered the final Test for the Lions against the All Blacks in 2017 with a fractured wrist, suffered in the second Test, before rupturing a tendon in his ankle during the opening half of the decider in Auckland, reported the Irish Independent.

Sexton damaged his wrist in the second half of the famous victory over the All Blacks, but strapped it up for the series decider. After the 15-all draw, he underwent scans that revealed he also had a broken bone in his arm.

3. JOE MARLER (BROKEN LEG)

The England international loose-head prop picked up the leg fracture during the first half of Quins’ 24-17 defeat at Worcester a few years back but played on and completed the 80 minutes. A proper hard man.

4. WAYNE SHELFORD (RUPTURED SCROTUM)

We've saved the best for second last here, with the story of former All Blacks captain Wayne "Buck" Shelford who suffered possibly the most horrific injury known to man in just his second international game. Be warned, this one is graphic. During the infamous "Battle of Nantes" between New Zealand and France in 1986, Shelford first had three teeth knocked out of his head before suffering a concussion which knocked him out. But the worst was yet to come.

5. JAMIE ROBERTS (CRACKED SKULL)

Aged 22, the powerhouse centre cracked his skull around his right eye after a collision with Stirling Mortlock that also ended the Wallabies captain's match. Yet, remarkably, the Cardiff Blues centre stayed on the pitch for a further 15 minutes, even playing a part in the game's opening try, before succumbing to the pain. Warrior.