Lienert-Brown’s big scrum scare
It wasn’t so long ago Highlanders prop Daniel Lienert-Brown was facing life without rugby.
A prolapsed disc in his neck made sure of that last August, when a scrum drill went wrong while preparing for Canterbury’s Ranfurly Shield defence against Otago in Christchurch.
Updates on Lienert-Brown’s status were impossible to come by until Canterbury’s coaching staff ruled him out for the remainder of their campaign late in the piece, but the Christchurch Boys’ High School old boy told Stuff on Monday just how serious the injury was.
‘‘It was pretty scary when I went in to see a specialist. They were talking, if my neck didn’t get any better, then I’d possibly have to stop playing footy, which was a bit of a wake up call,’’ he said. ‘‘We were just doing our pregame scrums, and just before you engage you load up.
‘‘My neck was on the tighthead [prop’s] shoulder . . . I guess there was just too much pressure and I ended up prolapsing a disc in my C6 [vertebrae].’’ The then 24-year-old’s Mitre 10 Cup season was over in the second round, and a lengthy rehabilitation process was required in order for him to be ready for his third full season with the Highlanders.
‘‘That was definitely the longest injury I’ve had. I’ve been pretty lucky not having long-term injuries, touch wood. It was a learning curve for me,’’ LienertBrown said.
‘‘The medical staff there were pretty confident I’d be out there again, so that took the pressure off.’’ He’s shown no lingering side effects in helping the Highlanders to a 4-2 start in Super Rugby, having started five of the six matches, and made one appearance off the pine.
Considering the rate loosehead props have been dropping around the country, it’s no wonder Lienert-Brown was looking for a hunk of wood when discussing his mostly good fortune throughout his young career. The Crusaders are still without their top loosehead, Joe Moody, who busted a finger in his return from a shoulder injury last weekend, while the Chiefs’ depth has been sorely tested with Kane Hames (head) yet to play this year, and Atu Moli (quad), and Aidan Ross (ankle) done for the year.
Tim Perry (Crusaders) is likely the top ranked healthy loosehead as of now, but add the fact Crusaders veteran Wyatt Crockett retired from international rugby in February, and there is certainly an opportunity for young looseheads such as Lienert-Brown, Pauliasi Manu (Blues) and Chris Eves (Hurricanes) to make a case ahead of June’s test series against France.
But for Lienert-Brown, who played twice for the Crusaders in 2014, he’s just concentrating on the Highlanders, who were on the wrong side of a scrum battle with the Brumbies in Dunedin last weekend, and their derby against the Blues in Auckland on Friday.