Sam Cane, the flanker for the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team will be on the bench for months after fracturing his neck in a game against the Springboks. Luckily the 26-year-old was able to walk off the field on his own steam, but neck injuries can always be tricky.
NewsHub says that Cane collided with Springbok Francois Louw’s hip in the 35th minute and was motionless on the field for a few minutes until he was able to stand. All Blacks have been posting updates on their Twitter account to say that Cane would make a full recovery.
“UPDATE: All Blacks lose forward @SamCane7 is to have surgery in Johannesburg today after suffering a fracture in his neck in last night’s Test against South Africa. Expected to make a full recovery. All Blacks Doctor Tony Page said Cane had suffered a fracture in vertebrae but thankfully had not suffered any nerve damage. Cane will stay in South Africa for the week before flying home. Will be out of rugby for several months.”
At this time, Cane has no nerve damage or numbness, but reportedly he is in some discomfort and will undergo surgery in Johannesburg before returning to New Zealand.
Sam Cane never flinches so it should not surprise his grimace as he left the field in Pretoria has revealed itself to be a break in his neck. https://t.co/ZML6rkL9R8
— Whanganui Chronicle (@WhangaChron) October 7, 2018
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen is just happy that Cane is expected to make a full recovery.
“It’s obviously really disappointing for Sammy and his family, but the pleasing news is he’s been given great medical care from the time of the injury and best of all, he’s going to be able to get a full recovery and play again.”
Hansen says that he was just happy that this wasn’t a career-ending injury for Cane.
“So, once you remove, I suppose, the drama of it being a neck injury, you’ve just got to look at it and treat it like any fracture. The good news is he will play again,” Hansen said.
Radio New Zealand says that Hansen had Ardie Savea replace Cane, and he managed to score to give the All Blacks a 32-30 win over South Africa.
All Blacks team doctor Tony Page says that a large part of Cane’s recovery will be giving it time.
“Like any fracture, it takes a couple of weeks and months. It will probably take about three months for the bone to get strong but we’ll just take it step-by-step. The operation is really just to keep everything in the right place so the bone can heal on its own accord,” Page said.
