If I just kept thinking about the 'what ifs' I'd never play rugby again: Croft on the injury that could have condemned to a wheelchair
Tom Croft admits he is in for a hectic summer — from Saturday’s Premiership final at Twickenham, the Lions tour to Australia, getting married, honeymooning in Malaysia to moving house — all that before returning to Leicester for warm-up games ahead of next season’s kick-off.
Yet Croft is not complaining. The alternative could have been far worse than having so little time to catch his breath. A badly timed tackle on Harlequins’ Nick Easter last April resulted in the 27-year-old Leicester flanker breaking the C6 vertebra in his neck in three different places.
Emergency surgery was followed by 10 months out of the game. He endured the removal of the crushed vertebra, a bone graft from his hip and the insertion of a metal plate, four screws and a metal cage by the renowned specialist Peter Hamlyn.
Croft is under no illusions about just how near he came to disaster. ‘They say I got as close to being in a wheelchair as it’s possible to be without actually ending up in one,’ he said last week, as he relaxed in the kitchen of his south Leicestershire village home.
Man up: After the tackle in April last year that could have ended his playing career, Leicester's Tom Croft is ready for his Premiership final against Saints Concern: A mistimed tackle in Leicester's match against Harlequins in April 2012 saw Croft suffer a triple fracture of his C6 vertebraBut as he contemplates a summer of intense activity, he is determined to remain pragmatic about his return to a game that, according to Hamlyn, could have cost him his life. ‘It was a near miss, for sure, but I’m OK, it’s gone and if I spent too much time thinking about the “what ifs”, I’d never step on a rugby pitch again,’ said Croft.
‘We’ve all stepped off a kerb and just missed a bus. This is how I see that episode in my life.
‘Also, Matt Hampson (the Leicester player consigned to a wheelchair after a training injury) proved to be an inspiration to me.
‘The way I saw it, if I had a repeat of the injury, but this time it was not an inch out, then I was confident I could handle it, because I’ve seen from close-hand how remarkably inspiring Hambo has been in dealing with his lot.
‘I’m not saying it’s easy for him, because it’s not. It’s very tough. But he leads a good life and he’s making the very best of it.’
Bright outlook: Croft's former team-mate Matt Hampson has been a source of inspirationCroft’s reaction to his injury was relief that it had not ended his career, then frustration at having to watch others compete for the prizes.
‘I remember watching Leicester lose last May’s Premiership final to Saracens from the Twickenham stands. It was a hot day, I was in a neck brace and on a high dosage of pain-killing drugs and I watched us fall in a big final I couldn’t even play in,’ he recalled, shaking his head at the memory. ‘It was a pretty miserable experience all round.’
A year later and Croft has defied all predictions — even his own — by returning to club action in February, for his country in March and, next month, for the Lions.
Ironically, his selection by Lions head coach Warren Gatland meant no place in the tour party for his England captain, Chris Robshaw.
‘Robbo doesn’t want my sympathy and besides, it’s not my call, it’s Warren Gatland’s,’ said Croft.
‘I think I’ve been very lucky all round, and Chris hasn’t. In my opinion, he should be in the squad. He’s been a world-class player and leader for club and country and it’s a massive shock he wasn’t selected, although I’m sure he’s first on the list if there is an injury.’
Roaring to go: Croft is all set for his second Lions tourWhile Robshaw waits, Croft can think about a second Lions tour after his 2009 call-up, albeit only after Irish flanker Alan Quinlan was banned. He scored two tries in the first Test, started in the second and was on the bench in the third Test as the Springboks went on to win a tight series 2-1.
‘I thought it was Danny Hipkiss impersonating [head coach] Ian McGeechan when Geech called to tell me I was in,’ he revealed.
‘Then Stephen Ferris got a bad injury and suddenly I was in the Test starting XV. The whole experience was wonderful, surreal, intense, shattering because we lost but, ultimately, the pinnacle of my career. Despite subsequent Grand Slam games and the World Cup, this view hasn’t changed.’
Four years on, however, experiencing it is not enough. Croft has a specific ambition. ‘Above your jersey hanging up in the Lions dressing room is a plaque with the names of all those in your position who have played in a Lions-winning series,’ he said. ‘No one’s been added to that since 1997.
‘A Lions win is long overdue. We repaired much of the damage caused by 2005 in 2009, but now we have to take the next step. Every time I run on to the pitch I’m aware how lucky I am to be still playing. But from the moment I join up with the Lions the focus is on winning the series. I want my name on that plaque.’
Making it count: Leicester have reached their ninth consecutive Premiership final and Croft is determined to leave Twickenham victoriousThen there is the wedding. Leicester’s Ben Youngs and Matt Smith are joint best men and fiancée Harriet, a dental nurse, is staying in England to oversee the house move. Beforehand, Croft has the little matter of arch East Midlands rivals Northampton in Saturday’s Premiership final to prepare for.
‘This is the ninth successive Premiership final for the Tigers,’ said Croft. ‘But we’ve won only three so far, including losing in the last two years. We won’t need any more motivation than that.’
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