LIST | 5 rugby stars who overcame disabilities, including Ellis Genge
Top 10s/ListsTuesday, 05 January 2021 at 02:34
Read about the rugby players with disabilities who refused to be limited by their conditions.
These inspiring achievers pursued their dreams and achieved so much!
RUGBY PLAYERS WITH DISABILITIES:
1. Ian Mckinley - Blindness
It’s now roughly eight years since the accident that led to Ian McKinley losing the sight in his left eye. In a freak accident, a stray boot from a fellow teammate perforated his left eye while playing a club match in 2010 for University College Dublin, leaving him partially blind in that eye. The injury would be a career-ending one for 99.9% of professional athletes but not for McKinley.
2. Henry Slade - Type 1 Diabetes
Slade signed his first professional contract with Exeter Chiefs at the age of 18, the same year in which he also developed type 1 diabetes. Under the 2010 Equality Act, type 1 diabetes is defined as a disability, in that it may have a 'substantial, long-term, negative impact on a person's ability to carry out normal, day-to-day activities'.
3. Jonah Lomu - Nephrotic syndrome
He was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, a serious kidney disorder in 1995, and the disease had a significant impact on his playing career and wider life. By 2003 he was on dialysis and in 2004 underwent a kidney transplant. He then attempted a comeback but did not play international rugby again, and retired from professional rugby in 2007. He died unexpectedly on 18 November 2015 after suffering a heart attack associated with his kidney condition.
4. Lewis Moody
Former England captain Moody was diagnosed with an inflammatory bowel disease called ulcerative colitis in 2005, but kept his condition secret while continuing to play top-level rugby. Now retired, he wants to raise awareness of the Crohn’s and Colitis UK charity which helps around 260,000 people in the UK with this type of disease.
5. Ellis Genge - Dyspraxia
The superstar Leicester and England prop is thriving. Dyspraxia affects the use of muscles. Different types of dyspraxia can affect writing, speech and other movements involved in learning. Forever inspiring us, Genge has gone onto help kids going through the same tough problems he did while also making the England Rugby World Cup Squad.
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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