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Adam Thomson opens up on journey from Japanese hospital bed to Chiefs Super Rugby squad
By Christopher Reive, NZ Herald
When Adam Thomson was struck down by a spinal infection in late 2017, he had no guarantee that his life would ever go back to how it was.
The former All Blacks loose forward was admitted to hospital in December of 2017, during his stint playing for the Canon Eagles in Japan, after experiencing excruciating pain that left him unable to walk.
His ailment initially had doctors stumped, before he was eventually diagnosed with lumbar discitis – an infection in the intervertebral disc space.
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Thomson spent 57 days in hospital, mostly bed ridden, and had to learn how to walk again. Speaking to Newstalk ZB‘s Martin Devlin, Thomson said it was the biggest challenge he had ever faced.
“It was hugely scary. There were some pretty dark moments. In my life I’ve had a pretty cruisy run in terms of major obstacles, injuries and what not, so for me that was the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced,” Thomson said.
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“I was on my back for six weeks, couldn’t get out of bed and had to teach myself to walk again going through major bouts of pain.
“Things came up life quality of life and will you even be able to live a normal kind of life again…that’s the level it was at, it was never really can you go back and be a professional rugby player again. There were some really dark times and I had to ask myself some pretty big questions. I made that decision pretty early on that I was going to get over it and get back to it.
“It was step by step…I just had to keep moving and work really, really hard.”
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Thomson returned to rugby last year when he signed with the Utah Warriors in Major League Rugby, however he did not feature in a game for the club. His return to playing came back on home soil at club level for Takapuna, before suiting up for Otago in the Mitre 10 Cup last year.
Now, the 37-year-old has been added to the Chiefs Super Rugby squad as an injury replacement player to help provide cover in the pack.
“It’s quite the journey to think back on it now, even seeing some of the footage of the shape I was in in hospital and now getting a crack at club rugby, Mitre 10 (Cup) and now Super Rugby, it’s pretty unreal.
“I never thought I’d be back playing Super Rugby, to be honest. Rugby was there in the back of my mind, it never went away. To me, that was never going to be the end of my journey even with doctors’ recommendations and that. I’m a pretty stoic sort of guy and I wanted to go out on my own terms. Right from day one it was about getting over that hurdle, getting myself back on my feet and getting back onto the field.
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“To me that was probably club rugby, at a push maybe get back to something a little bit higher. But to get back into a Super Rugby jersey, especially a team as amazing as the Chiefs, it’s a dream come true.
“I’ve got a lot of gratitude for where I am and I’ve got that love and passion for the game again. You tend to lose that when you play season after season and it kind of grinds on. For me that was a huge wake up call.
“To have that passion and burning desire to get back into footy for the love of it again is something I don’t take for granted.”
This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and was republished with permission.
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Comments on RugbyPass
I hope WRU cops a 12 month ban.
1 Go to commentsOuch. Pumped. Even Nohamba is a better flyhalf than Ford.
2 Go to commentsI hope Leinster’s proud of themselves fielding a poor team. They should decide if they’re all in or not.
2 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
30 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
6 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
27 Go to comments