Scotland wing Thom Evans is on the road to recovery
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David Ferguson looks at the pitfalls of returning from a serious injury in the wake of Thom Evans' recovery in The Scotsman.
"His injury and that suffered by Barry Stewart, the former Scotland prop, were quite different. That has to be made clear and Stewart is not of a mind to offer advice to a fellow injured pro, but Stewart's story provides an illustration of the difficulties in coming back and also a sense of hope for players who do suffer serious injury and face the reality of a life without the sport they crave.
"Stewart is now 34 and works in his native Edinburgh as a trainee investment manager with Brewin Dolphin, the company that sponsors the Scottish Schools Cup competitions and the capital's touch rugby leagues. Nearly a decade ago, just four caps and four years into life as a professional he suffered a spinal injury that forced the SRU to call time on his career.
"But the words of a neurosurgeon at the time, who insisted the injury did not make Stewart any more or less likely to suffer a serious accident on the field of play than any team-mate, persuaded him that the union was wrong; that he could play on. He left Scotland, paid for his own insurance initially, and enjoyed a further seven years as a professional prop in the Guinness Premiership and Europe with Sale Sharks and Northampton."
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