Racing 92 fly-half Pat Lambie has decided to end his career due to numerous concussions sustained and because of “post-concussion symptoms that persisted”, he announced in an interview with L’Equipe published Saturday.
The South African international (28 years old, 56 caps), recruited at the end of 2017 by the Hauts-de-Seine club to succeed Dan Carter, said he was “relieved” to have made this decision.
“I did not have a new head injury, the symptoms were still there for the last few weeks and I did not want to expose myself to more serious damage,” he said.
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Before his arrival in France, the Springbok had already considered stopping rugby because of three concussions, including “really two major” endured in South Africa in June 2016 and May 2017. After the latter, the N.10 had waited six months before replaying.
But the symptoms came back after a new concussion suffered in Oyonnax at the end of December 2017. “They lasted about forty days, I was able to play again at the end of February, I felt OK but I was not at my best , “ says Lambie. , whose symptoms have worsened in recent months as he recovered from a broken cruciate ligament in the right knee suffered in the European Cup final against Leinster (15-12 defeat) in May in Bilbao.
The opener describes “flailing legs” , headaches, migraines and eye irritations. “I have not been able to do any bodybuilding sessions in the last two and a half months because I had a terrible headache.”
“I followed the advice of two neurologists (…) Their opinions came together: they advised me to stop rugby (…) So I followed the opinion of specialists” , summarizes Lambie