Dickson hoping to keep a straight face
New Zealand sevens player Sam Dickson has painful memories of last year’s World Series tournament in Hamilton. And not just because of the result.
The 30-year-old is hoping for a somewhat better weekend this time round, after the 2019 event saw the host nation lose in its semifinal, not long after Dickson had broken his nose in the quarterfinal – an injury which has continued to haunt him since.
After copping a knee to the face when cleaning out a ruck against Australia, Dickson’s schnozz was in all sorts of directions.
‘‘I went probably a bit too hard and didn’t really go in with much technique and sort of went with my head first, and ‘bang’,’’ Dickson recalled to Stuff of the sickening blow.
‘‘I just remember taking a huge knock then lying on the ground feeling my nose sideways and thinking ‘oh God’.’’
However, it wasn’t going to stop the tough competitor for long, with a quick but nasty crack back into place by the tournament doctor at halftime having Dickson remarkably taking his place on the park for the second stanza.
A short time later, though, another bang to the beak in the third/fourth playoff win over South Africa, brought more blood and ‘‘a few tears to the eyes’’, along with another required straightening.
Dickson then got through the Sydney tournament the following weekend fine, before what do you know, at the next event in Las Vegas a month later he ‘‘smashed it again’’ to once more have it feel ‘‘like jelly’’.
All this on top of having first broken the nose at the Vancouver tournament in 2016.
‘‘I guess most rugby players, if you play long enough, you’re probably going to get a broken nose at some stage, especially in my position, the way I play,’’ said Dickson, who added he was now trying to lead more with his shoulder than his head.
‘‘I get caught in the moment sometimes and just want to fly in and move bodies, instead of trying to do it a bit smarter.’’
Dickson said he was in all seriousness likely to take up ACC’s offer of a free nose job postcareer, and not just for looks either, as the whole ordeal still actually plays with his sinuses.
The nose is just another injury issue for him, during a career littered with them.
In 2016 a ruptured ACL in his knee threatened to steal Dickson’s Olympic dreams, before he made the bold call of non-surgery to try and still make it to Rio.
Of course, after a month the knee did pop out. But Dickson fought hard to recover and was thankful then-coach Sir Gordon Tietjens had faith to select him.
Straight after the Olympics he got the knee operated on. It’s not perfect now, but good enough.
Even Dickson’s milestone 50th World Series tournament – the most recent one in Cape Town last month – couldn’t go without incident.
A pinched nerve in his neck in the quarterfinal against Scotland saw him miss the rest of the event.
Still, it was ‘‘a pretty special occasion’’ as New Zealand triumphed over South Africa and Dickson joined DJ Forbes, Tim Mikkelson, Lote Raikabula, Tomasi Cama and Scott Curry as the only New Zealanders on the half century list.
‘‘I think I’ve played with all of them,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve always looked up to them and seeing how they’ve lasted so long, a lot of credit goes to those fellas for showing me how it’s done, and just their determination to keep on going.’’
Dickson debuted in 2012, just a year after representing New Zealand in AFL – a sport he credits immensely for his development, with Tietjens having been impressed by some of the things he could do in the air.
Now, Dickson is on the verge of his second Olympics, and plans to reassess things post that with his contract up.
‘‘I guess we’ll look to see where I’m at, physically and mentally.’’