Career-ending injury leaves rugby stalwart devastated

Walking up these days must be a strange experience for Connacht prop Brett Wilkinson. A professional sportsman for almost a decade – a rugby player all his life – Wilkinson is currently coming to terms with a life without the oval ball in hand after suffering a freak neck injury that has cut short his playing career.

It would not be difficult to paint a picture of Wilkinson’s devastation upon hearing the news – after all, injury has robbed the South African native of his livelihood – but true to the 30-year-old’s character he does not want to deal in negatives. That’s not his way. And it’s not the Connacht way.

Still, he is willing to chat openly about the incident, noting he didn’t realise how serious it was until he met the consultant. “The first specialist I saw kind of warned me and he said, ‘look it, this could be very serious; just prepare for all sort of outcomes’. He had picked something up in the x-ray.

“I was not in any pain or anything like that though. I was just doing day-to-day stuff and I was in the injured group training [with Connacht], just doing a little bit with them. So, I was devastated when I got the news. I was really shocked.”

For any professional sportsperson, that must be their worst nightmare but Wilkinson says he has had some time to gain a measure of acceptance. He is positive in his outlook and being as proactive as he possible can to meet the fresh challenge life has thrown at him.

“It can become very easy to get bogged down and I am just happy that I have my health. It is sad what happened to me but I am happy to be healthy,” he says. “So, at the moment, I am meeting as many people as I can.

“I was at a networking event last night in Dublin and I am just trying to meet as many people as I can in business and chat and see what their thoughts are. I am just trying to be practical about the next step in my career.”

To his name already, he has a diploma in Sales as well as a certificate in Accounting and he is currently looking to do a degree in Business Management. “I have tried to do as much as I can, and tried to keep busy on that side of things. So, I will be looking to study part-time and then find work whatever it may be.”

Wilkinson, who played 183 times for the province since joining the squad in 2006, has not ruled out a coaching career in the game either. “It would appeal to me. I have coached in clubs around the province. I am not going to turn my back on rugby and I would love to get back to the game. I would like to pass on my knowledge onto the younger generation; pass on what I have learned.”

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.