YOUNG GUNS
Niall Saunders is determined to give professional rugby another go after his dream was nearly shattered last year when he was forced to overcome depression along with a life-threatening condition.
Life was good for the scrum-half back in June 2016 playing for Ireland in the Junior World Cup final and being offered a full-time academy contract at Harlequins.
But that game against England in Manchester nearly proved to be his last as a minor hamstring tear nearly forced him to give up rugby.
Suffering from ITP – a condition that essentially prevents blood from clotting – Saunders’ hamstring took that long to recover that he had to come clean and decided to take some time out of the game.
“I’ve had the condition since I was three and I’ve never lied about it but the Quins coaches didn’t seem to know about it and I was petrified to tell them what exactly was going on,” he told The Rugby Paper. “The tear in my hamstring was pretty much a prick in the muscle but there was so much blood and bruise in my leg that it looked like I actually tore the muscled off the bone.
“I knew why that was happening and my disorder was in my medical record but I was so scared I was going to have my contract ripped off if I reminded them about it.
“My immune system destroys platelets which are necessary for normal blood clotting so I can basically bleed to death.
“What’s dangerous with rugby is if I get a bang to the head I could bleed internally and not even know about it until it’s too late.
“Quins told me they were happy to keep me on but my head wasn’t in the right place so I decided to take some time out. Depression was a reality for me so I had to sort my head out before thinking about even playing rugby.
“I was told by three of the best doctors in the world that I shouldn’t play rugby again but there was no way that was the end for me.
“I dealt with my depression before trying a new drug to increase the platelets in my blood and it seems to be working.
“I’m only taking the drug every two weeks now rather than every week and I’m hoping to reduce it to only once a month. If things keep going well, my immune system could actually stop destroying my platelets and I could come off medication altogether in two or three years.”
Defying the odds, Saunders returned to the Quins academy this summer. He added: “I’ve played a few A-League games already for Quins this season as well as playing for Esher in National One.
“Playing at scrum-half I need to get used to the speed of the game but it’s coming back quicker than I thought. I’m improving game after game.
“Tony Diprose, the academy manager at Quins, is very impressed about how I managed to come back. He doesn’t want me to change anything right now so keeping that same fighting attitude is my main priority.
“I have to thank Harlequins massively for how they handled the whole situation. They told me they’d have me back once I got everything sorted and they did. “I’m determined to pay them back by one day representing the first team. After that, the dream has to be playing for Ireland and the Lions.”