Braydon Ennor talks 'falling out of love with the game' after third ACL tear

An injury-plagued two years have seen Braydon Ennor play just three Super Rugby games, but now that the All Black is back on his feet, he’s ready to put that painful stretch behind him.

Ennor played the last of his nine Test matches for the All Blacks in 2023’s second Bledisloe Cup clash in Dunedin, a game in which he tore his ACL for the third time.

Having gone through the recovery process a couple of times before, in high school and during 2020’s North vs South exhibition game, the 27-year-old knew what he was in for.

That meant he knew what hoops he’d have to jump through, but he also knew it would take time. Earning a coaching certificate and taking a trip to Zimbabwe to explore his family background made the most of the time on the sidelines, but as a return to playing neared, things on the field started to click back into place.

“Having a bit of time off the park like I have over the last couple of years gives you time to think, and it’s almost helped me find the love of the game again. Coming back in and just enjoying every moment. I love playing for this team and the boys inside and outside of me,” the midfielder told Newstalk ZB‘s D’Arcy Waldergrave.

Fixture

Super Rugby Pacific

Crusaders

15 - 12

Full-time

Highlanders

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Having returned from the latest ACL issue to play for Canterbury in the 2024 NPC season, Ennor then required wrist surgery that ruled him out until round five of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season. That return was also short-lived, as a hamstring complaint sidelined him for another seven weeks.

Ennor knows the routine that comes with the physical recovery, but also knows to roll with the punches of the mental turmoil that comes with it.

“In the early stages, especially with that knee (injury) in 2023, just before the World Cup, that was where I fell out of love with the game a bit. Obviously, it was pretty disappointing. A terrible time to have it.

“You tend to take a couple of months just to wallow in self-pity, and then when you start to feel a bit more like yourself, and your knee starts settling down, you start to run again and start building that confidence back.

“I think coming back, it’s just gaining those little positives. Every week, you take a little positive out of each training, whether it’s a bit of top speed again, or you’re feeling better stepping, or you’re nailing a few more passes and reading the game a bit better. You build those consecutively throughout your return, so when you come back onto the park, you’re raring to go.”

The 72-cap Crusader says he never let self-doubt become much of a factor, knowing how easily hesitancy can affect you on the rugby pitch.

“I think I’m pretty good at just leaving it behind. It’s almost like a goldfish memory. It just is what it is, I’m back playing now, get stuck in and try not to think about it too much. If you start thinking like that, then you’re only going to be scared going into contact, scared going into a full sprint, and that’s just no good for you.

“I hope it looks like I’ve come back with a whole lot of confidence, because that’s how I feel.”

The speedster was sure to make the most of his time off the park, building his game IQ to stay ahead of the demands of his centre position.

“I feel like with being out and watching a lot more, it’s actually helped with my vision of the game, watching things unfold, heads up plays, all those sorts of things. It obviously comes with a bit more experience as well, compared to my younger years.

“But, centre these days, with rushing defences, can leave a bit of backfield space or disjointed attack lines, so reading all those sorts of plays and defensively as well, picking off players and that sort of thing.”