If you have read a post from a few days ago you will have seen that i played for Tunbridge Wells Rugby club for just over a season when i was 10/11 years old.
I left Tunbridge Wells rugby club when we moved house and did not then rejoin a rugby club outside school until i was 15. I did play rugby at school for the years in between and enjoyed it a lot, so much so that i rejoined Sevenoaks RFC when i was 15.
I had some friends at school who played for them and they encouraged me to come along and play for them.
I went along to a training session and they where great, there where about 30 of us in total that where part of the age group and everyone got regular game time.
I soon found my place within the set up and became a regular in the back 3 playing either on the wing or at fullback.
I was a great set up to be involved with and i can remember the point in which i started to feel part of the team.
We had a game in the early part of the season against Sidcup RFC at here ground. I started the game on the left wing.
The game had gone pretty slowly in the early stages, lots of mistakes and errors made by both teams as conditions where not that great.
Sidcup got a penalty in there 22 and where kicking to touch. I set myself up by the tough line just in front of the full back to catch the ball if it fell short.
The kick was not a good one and it bounced up in front of me. i heard the fullback call for the ball but i had already made the decision to catch the ball on the bounce.
So i caught the ball and decided to have a run up the left wing.
I passed the first defender with ease and then put my head down and made a run though the the next group of defenders, before i knew it i had got to the 22 and was looking to pass to the fullback coming up on my left side, i drew in the last defender and passed the ball out, try in the corner for the fullback. No it was not i had thrown a forward pass according to the ref although i still don't think it was.
After that moment i found myself full of confidence to attack players and even to make the mistakes.
The following week i came off the bench at Half time and scored my first try for the club, a simple walk in from a number eight pick up and blind side move. It felt great and i was finally on the score sheet.
The next week a got myself a double score, scoring a run in from 20 metres and then finishing off a move from a centre field scrum.
It was safe to say that a felt that i was a important part of the team and was deserving of my place.
I even got picked to start the county Semi Final against my old club Tunbridge Wells.
This was so exciting turning up to the game in shirts and ties, it almost felt like it was the next level.
Warm up was brilliant the whole team felt good, calm but excited to get the game started.
I was starting on the right wing.
The game was great physical and tough and very close. It was not the most beautiful game to watch but to play in it felt great. I was having a good game my opposite player was a tall physical player but i knew i had him for pace, took him early on the outside to see what he had and i was able to put he afterburners on a make good ground on the outside a number of times in the game, unfortunately we could not capitalise enough on the opportunities and could not pull away from them on the score board.
We where winning by a score with about 5 mins to go.
Tunbridge Wells get a penalty in there own 22 and kick for touch, it goes in to touch down the left had touch line just between the 10 metre and half way line, Tunbridge Wells win the line out and send the ball into centre field, there centre breaks the line coming up to the full back breaks the tackle of the fullback. I am now tracking across the pitch to make sure the winger can not run in, the pass goes to the winger and he pins his ears back and goes for the corner, i come across all the time thinking how am i going to make the tackle on him, I had the angle on him so i knew i was going to get him but i had to not miss the tackle and going to low may allow him to reach for the line, before i knew it i had hit him, he was tall so i had a lot to aim at, i went for a full wrap tackle in the hope i would be able to smother the ball and role him in to touch, unfortunately this was not the case i actually hit him so hard that i could not wrap him up and he went into touch, we had won the game, the guys came round to give me high fives but i could not lift my right arm up, I was in real pain, i had been injured before but only really bangs and bumps nothing to serious but this one felt different i was in really pain.
I got up and had the physio assist me with removing my top and he looked at my shoulder. He send that it was most likely just a stinger, Where i have hit something and my arm has gone to sleep and pain from nerves is shooting down my arm. He said go home rest it for a few days and then see what it is like at training next week.
So i did what the physio said went home and rested, I went to training the following week and we where training for the County Final. I did not want to miss the final so i started training as normal but within 20 mins i could not move my arm, i took some contact and the pain was really bad, the coach took me to one side and told me that i could not train as i was in to much pain. It was heartbreaking but i think i always knew that i would not be finishing the season.
My dad came to pick me up and we went to get a X-ray done to have a look at the damage.
The doctor told me that when i had made the tackle the week before i had dislocated my shoulder but when i feel to the ground a landed on the same shoulder it had gone back in to place but not all way.
This meant that it was putting pressure on my nerves and the joint itself, but also because it had been over a week since the impact the joint had started to heal itself and new bone had started to grow around the injured area.
The doctor told me there are two options either operation to rebreak and then reset or i could wait for the new bone to grow over the shoulder.
I chose not to have surgery and waited for the new bone to grow over the shoulder area, this means i now have a slight deformed looking shoulder but i can live with that.
Unfortunately i did mean that my season was over and i had to watch the final from the sidelines. It was a great final which we did win so it did make it hard to stand and watch what was going on but i still enjoyed that season back in club rugby.
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