A Wallabies star heard a ‘pop’ in his neck. He feared he may not run with his kids again
By Iain Payten
In pain and lying as still as possible on the Waratahs’ training field, Lalakai Foketi’s mind went straight to his young family. He’d just taken an innocuous carry into a tackle and after getting caught awkwardly in a ruck, heard a “pop” in the back of his neck.
“The first thing that came into my head was my kids and my partner, you know?” Foketi said.
“It was ‘far out, can I still be a dad who can run around with his kids?’ That’s the stuff that I thought about straight away. It was pretty scary because I didn’t know what had just happened.”
The Waratahs were two days out from their Super Rugby season opener against Queensland in February when a training session of middling intensity went scarily wrong for Foketi.
Selected to start at No.12, Foketi took the ball into a tackle and as he was rolled over in the ensuing ruck his chin was pinned to his chest, resulting in strain being placed on his neck. The injury saw Foketi stretchered off and, after 30 minutes of assessment under a tree at the Waratahs headquarters, he was taken to hospital by ambulance.
The 29-year-old had feeling in his hands and feet, but it took another nervous 24 hours before Foketi was told scans didn’t show any spinal fractures. He’d only suffered ligament damage.
Lalakai Foketi back at training with the Waratahs this week.Credit: Julius Dimitaga/NSW Rugby
Five weeks later, on the eve of Foketi’s return for the Waratahs in Friday night’s match against the Rebels, the veteran centre spoke about the “scary” incident and how he feared the worst while waiting for the ambulance to arrive at NSW Rugby’s headquarters in Daceyville.
“I just went in for a carry, and it got a bit heated and the boys rolled me over onto my neck, and I heard a pop. I didn’t know what it was. Just felt a sharp pain down my neck,” Foketi said.
“It was scary. Straight away I just started trying move my hands and my legs, thinking what is going on, and what is the extent of this?
“I definitely had movement and I could feel them touching me and stuff, but it was just the thought of if I move a little bit, could something worse happen? I just didn’t know and listened to what they had to say [to stay still].
Lalakai Foketi in action for the Wallabies against Portugal at the Rugby World Cup.Credit: Getty
“That was probably the scariest and hardest thing, just the boys watching me get taken off on a stretcher and waiting for an ambulance, over there underneath some shade. It kind of hit me, geez, something could be wrong. It is scary, just all the what-ifs. I went through it and I don’t wish that on anyone.”
Transported to Prince of Wales hospital in Randwick, Foketi met his family - fiancee Mason and kids Huxlee (3) and Zion (1) - and after an MRI the following day, the specialist gave him the good news.
“As soon as those results came, it was a relief and I just thought how can I get back and get strong and fast, and make an impact,” Foketi said.
Coach Darren Coleman said the Waratahs squad were pleased to have the incumbent Wallabies inside centre backon the field.
“He has had a rough trot over the last five weeks. He has shown some resilience,” Coleman said.
On Friday night, the Waratahs also welcome back five-eighth Will Harrison, who is on the bench for the first time since suffering a run of knee injuries that saw him miss two seasons.
Sitting at 1-4, but with the last three defeats by three points or fewer, Coleman said the team had maintained a positive mentality and had displayed their resilient character in a golden-point defeat in Fiji last week. In stifling conditions, the Waratahs came from 16 points down to draw level by full-time.
“At halftime last week, down 26-10 in horrible conditions, we had a real good opportunity to turn it up. Some teams, that ends up 50-10 and you get pumped. So I think that speaks volumes about the character of the boys in the team and the leadership of Jake [Gordon] and ‘Sincs’ [Hugh Sinclair].
“It’s definitely the first time in my career I have had three losses in a row, like that. The poor old dog has copped a flogging when I get home, I can tell you.”
Coleman said the Waratahs are wary of the under-pressure Rebels, who are not only fighting for their future but have had a habit of troubling NSW.
“They’re going to burst at some point. I know Taniela has been copping a bit of grief around his perfromance but when he decides to flick the switch, it’s hard to handle,” he said. “We understand it is going to be a really tough challenge.”
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