JAKE’S REVIVAL

Ball’s back after injury nightmare

TWO years ago he could not lift an arm but in a month might lift the World Cup.

Jake Ball has gone from injury-prone to irreplaceable in the Wales team. In the past two years, he has ruptured his bicep, dislocated his shoulder, suffered a concussion and torn the ligaments in a toe. ‘It was just unlucky I guess,’ said the lock. ‘There was nothing I could have done to prevent a lot of things that have happened.’

Dislocating his shoulder against the All Blacks in November 2017 was the worst of the lot. ‘The most frustrating thing about my shoulder was that they said it was meant to be a four-month return,’ he said.

‘ Then t here was a bi t of a complication because I had some nerve damage from the operation that set me back and it was hard for me, the fact that was on top of it.

‘There was a point where it just wasn’t getting any stronger. I had a hole in my back where the muscle had just stopped working because of the nerves they disrupted.

‘At one point, I wasn’t sure that was going to get any better. I was seeing the nerve specialist and he was saying, “Look, this is going to take between six and 10 months”.

‘I remember thinking, “Christ, I can’t see it taking that long”. But he was about right. To go for the best part of five years without an injury, which is probably what I had and I was very durable, playing 80 minutes a game, to then having that patch was very frustrating from a mental side.’

Ball started to plan for a life after rugby — learning how to trade in foreign exchange — as the light at the end of the tunnel dimmed. It took a complete break from the game to set him back on a path to the Test arena.

‘The changing point for me was t he La Rochelle game in t he European Cup for the Scarlets in 2018,’ he said. ‘I was hoping to be back for that and it didn’t happen. The coaches said, “We want you to have a bit of down time” and it was my sister’s wedding back in Perth so they said, “We want you to go”. They knew how frustrated I was.

‘I had a week off, didn’t train and when I came back my strength increased and for whatever reason I seemed to carry on from there.’

With Cory Hill injured and having to fly home, Adam Beard losing his appendix and Bradley Davies not yet up to speed, Ball has started the first two World Cup games with captain Alun Wyn Jones, who has been an inspiration for him.

‘Alun Wyn seems to be the constant,’ he added. ‘Over the years everyone has revolved around him. It’s a big challenge for me to push him and outdo some of his stats.’

And Ball owes a lot to Warren Gatland. He added: ‘He can give you a lot of confidence. When he says something you really listen.’