By DAVID ROGERS
ENGLAND coach Shaun Wane has opened up about the agony he suffered when he had to miss the trip to Toulouse in June for England’s match against France.
Wane instead had to go to hospital for an operation on an ankle and he has revealed, in a post on the social media website LinkedIn, the extent of the problem.
“I am very much a ‘what’s next’ sort of person but I’ve found the last 4/5 months a real test,” he wrote.
“Without boring you with all the gory details, I wrecked my ankle when I played for Leeds in a game against Wakefield in the early 90s.
“Fast forward to three months ago when I was in camp as England coach, preparing for a Test match in France. I had just delivered my team meeting, when I received a call from my ankle surgeon saying I needed at least two operations, one of them immediately. As in IMMEDIATELY. Straight to A&E.
“Shell shocked doesn’t touch it. I was due to travel to France a few days later for one of my three games in charge of England RL of the year.
“The surgeon sounded very concerned on the phone so I went straight to the hospital. Anyone who knows me well, will know I am the worst person this could happen to.
“I ended up in hospital for nearly three weeks as I had a horrendous infection in my ankle. If I hadn’t gone to hospital when I did, the consequences could have been A LOT worse.
“So I had to watch my England team play France without me there, on an iPad from my hospital bed. Devastating.
“We more or less beat the infection but it left me with virtually no ankle left, as it had eaten away at all of the soft tissue in my ankle. The pain was unbearable. Even for a man who has had some of the worst injuries and operations you can imagine.
“The only option I had left was to fuse my ankle. This is a debilitating operation meaning three months on crutches and in a boot, non-weight-bearing. I’m currently two weeks into my recovery from this op, 60th birthday celebrations cancelled, and it means it will run into the upcoming Samoa Test series.”
Wane, who posted a photograph of himself wearing the boot, admits that his situation is “incredibly frustrating” and that “I have attention on me when I feel vulnerable – I hate that.”
However, he adds: “I’m very lucky to have good people around me and a nice place to recover.
“We all get tested sometimes, in some way. Be ready. Have the right attitude.”
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