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'I've had about 6 concussions but the one at Murrayfield really knocked me around - that was the one I struggled to come back from'
Blade Thomson recalls a “whole cocktail of bad things” in the autumn of 2018, a maelstrom of unbearable grief and perilous injury that stopped the huge back row in his tracks. First came the sudden and awful death of a close friend at home in New Zealand.
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Thousands of miles away with the Scarlets, he couldn’t make it back across the world at short notice. He had long chats with Wayne Pivac, his then coach, and resolved to play in the huge derby against the Ospreys that weekend. It was a bruising affair and Thomson had a telling say, cutting down Alun Wyn Jones in the last throes of a 20-17 victory. At full-time, the emotion poured out of him like a river in spate.
“One of my best mates had passed away and the timing was all wrong, I wasn’t able to get back home,” Thomson told RugbyPass. “There was no point in me missing the game. I just thought I’d go out and play. I always think about him, always.”
Sport pales into insignificance in this context, but rugby soon had a different pain in the post. A brain injury torpedoed Thomson’s impending Scotland debut, the knock-out blow suffered, ironically, at Murrayfield against Edinburgh a week before the autumn internationals.
“I was so close to making my Scotland debut and it was not ripped away, but it just didn’t unfold like I thought it would. I had just been named in the autumn squad and then it didn’t go to plan. There were very tough times during that period and leading up to that there was some stuff that was just not going right. When I got knocked out, that was it, it didn’t help.”
The months that followed were desperate. Headaches were relentless and debilitating and Thomson wondered if he would ever be able to pick up a barbell without the searing pain. In those days, retirement became a very real possibility. The tattooed Kiwi had suffered at least four previous concussions and has since spent more time out of the game after copping another. Eligible for Scotland through a grandfather from Wishaw, he fretted that his shot at Test rugby was gone.
“All the time [after the injury], I thought, that’s me done. The talks about retirement were because I wasn’t progressing at all. For sure there were dark days but on the flip side of that, there was always a light at the end of the tunnel. Even if I was to go down the retirement route, I was happy to go and do that if needed. If not, there were always people saying, ‘Look, we can still try this or that’. I didn’t really feel backed into a corner. I always had options on both sides.”
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It took ten months for the head to come right, for Gregor Townsend to finally lay hands on the snarling, barnstorming forward with sumptuous footballing skills and a destructive streak that he had long craved. Greig Laidlaw and John Barclay bestowed upon Thomson his debut jersey before the World Cup warm-up match against France and the awesome significance of what he was about to achieve struck him like a freight train. He went on to play three matches during the ill-fated campaign in Japan.
“I got over the hump and finally was able to pull the thistle on. I was just hugely, hugely grateful. It was just surreal; it was a long, long journey to get to that point. I knew it wasn’t over, that was just the start and everyone who supported and got around me to help me get there was really encouraging.
“I was so over the moon that I’d finally, not made it, but finally got into the team and felt like I belonged a little bit. It was just a long time coming and everything that had happened in the twelve months before that, it was just an unreal feeling and it’s one that I’ll never, ever forget.”
With research continuing to link repeated head trauma with a neurological decline, there is a degree of alarm around how later life could unfold. Thomson consulted a neurologist during his long spell out and is doing his utmost to mitigate the risk of more damage. In modern rugby, though, there are no guarantees.
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“I have had about six concussions but the one up at Murrayfield really knocked me around – that was the one I struggled to come back from. I’m doing all I can to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. I’m working my neck, doing all the exercises I’m being told to do, setting myself up to hopefully be successful and not have any more concussions.
“It’s all moving in the right direction for future players, even though players now sort of have to be the guinea pigs. They’re not holding a gun to your head to go out there and play. We are doing this for different reasons and regardless of why you’re doing it, there is always going to be a risk. It’s tough for us because some of the science is new, but you have got to start somewhere and if down the road it benefits the younger players and their health and safety then I’m all for it.”
For now, Thomson feels unfulfilled. He arrived in Llanelli two years ago to great fanfare with a scintillating highlights reel, but those concussions have limited his impact. He hasn’t played since Boxing Day. An Achilles problem meant he was a late withdrawal from the Scarlets team that made a triumphant return to the Guinness PRO14 last weekend by walloping Cardiff Blues, a result followed by Saturday’s 41-20 win over Dragons which puts them in semi-final contention.
“I hate being on the sidelines and watching the boys go to battle but it’s just one of those things, that’s pro rugby, and a lot of the boys will go through it. The whole organisation has been top-notch, always willing to help out and making sure I’m fine and the people are lovely.
“I just feel like I owe them something, to pay them back for the loyalty they have shown me. I haven’t really shown it on the field as much as I have wanted to. That’s what the next games and the upcoming season are for, to thank them and show them that I want to be a Scarlet.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets 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?
10 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.
9 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.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 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.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments