'My foot was the size of two shoes': Wallabies star reveals 36-hour hospital ordeal three days ahead of All Blacks clash
Wallabies tyro Harry Wilson has revealed how his right foot ballooned to twice the size just three days before Australia’s second Bledisloe Cup clash with New Zealand.
It’s been well documented how Wilson spent 36 hours in an Auckland hospital last week before making a miraculous recovery in time to tackle the mighty All Blacks on Sunday.
But the 20-year-old back-rower only detailed his extraordinary week on Wednesday after returning to Australia for the final two games of the series in Sydney and Brisbane on October 31 and November 7 respectively.
Wilson said what started as a small cut, which he can’t even recall how it came about, developed into boil cellulitis that rendered him immobile less than a week after making a memorable test debut in Australia’s series-opening 16-16 draw in Wellington.
“It was a bit different to a usual game week. I just had a little bit of a cut on my foot on Monday and then it progressively got worse,” Wilson said at the unvei ling of the Wallabies’ latest Indigenous jumper.
“I did a big training session on Wednesday and then my foot was probably the size of two shoes.
“So on Thursday I had my foot all up and Friday we decided it was probably best to go to hospital to get it sorted.”
Wilson was pumped with antibiotics and spent almost every waking minute icing the foot in his race against the clock.
He was eventually released from hospital on Saturday afternoon, less than 24 hours before going into battle in Bledisloe II at Eden Park.
“I pretty much didn’t move for 36 hours just to get it all out,” Wilson said.
“The swelling left and I kind of knew (I’d be OK to play) because about every four hours I was able to walk on it a bit better.”
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Continuing his Cinderella year, Wilson’s foot fitted beautifully into his shoe and the Wallabies hardman managed to play 50 minutes in Australia’s 27-7 defeat.
“The boot ended up fitting on pretty well so I didn’t really notice it on game day, which was good,” he sa id.
Wilson did enough to suggest he’ll be retained for Australia’s must-win showdown in Sydney.
But, furious with seeing his side miss 40 tackles, Wallabies coach Dave Rennie threatened to wield the axe.
One player unlikely to back-up is midfield playmaker Matt Toomua, who is still awaiting the outcome of scans after limping off before halftime with a recurring groin injury.
“However long he misses, he’ll be a big loss,” his Wallabies and Melbourne Rebels teammate Dane Haylett-Petty said on Wednesday.
“He’s one of the leaders of the team and he’s probably been close to the form player so far, shifting out and doing a job at 12 and leading the defence.”
Comments on RugbyPass
One that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMOes more.
3 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
105 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
1 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
3 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
3 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
105 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
3 Go to commentsWell one thing about World Cup knock out rounds and Ireland is very clear: they won’t be getting ahead of themselves in ‘27! Because making it beyond the QF is well and truly ‘IN THEIR HEADS’ now…😉
105 Go to commentsHas this guy been dope tested? Sounds like a case of “roid rage”.
1 Go to comments