It has been just over two months since my neck injury in Dallas during a rugby match. I have missed every practice except three, sat on my ass for most the two months and it showed. I played Saturday. I didn't play well, mind you; but I played. My coach penciled me in at fullback and I got to cover the deep and the wide ball. There is nothing like eighty minutes of rugby to let you know how old, fat, and out of shape you are! For comparison, the guy across the midfield line from me (the Dallas Reds' fullback) was about twenty five years old, in shape, and had his 'do dyed PINK with this cute little blue stripe from the nape on the left side all the way round to the temple. Let me tell you though! He ran. He ran. He ran, and while I was sucking wind with both hands on my knees from inertia kicking my ass all over the field, he ran some more. The Reds' threw this guy at us repeatedly. He was running blind side, he was running crashes, he was running loops around the outside center to give the wing an overload......when he felt like passing the ball. Mostly he kept it and did this nice power step cut to the back shoulder and went right by whoever was standing there to tackle him. But I played the whole game. I did not re injure my neck. And I had plenty of collisions and tackles to have enough of a chance to hurt it again. So although I think I will be alright and intend to start practicing a lot harder now; I still will be careful with my neck. For that which does not kill me, makes me stronger....but I still don't want a screwed up neck!
Ruck on brothers!
