Whiteley is on the mend, at last
Bok and Lions skipper is finally on the road to recovery after groin injury
SPRINGBOK captain Warren Whiteley freely admits he misses his Bok teammates terribly but at the same time he says the hours, days, weeks and months he has been able to spend with his family in recent times have been a “silver lining”.
A groin injury, picked up in June, just two Tests into his captaincy of the national side, has laid him low and he’s set to only return to the game next year, for the Lions, in Super Rugby. In his absence, Eben Etzebeth has led the Boks, a job he’ll again do on this month’s four-Test tour of Europe.
“I’ll miss the guys again now when they go on tour, but I know the rest has done me good, too,” said Whiteley this week. “Also I have a young family; my son is five months old, my daughter is three, and being able to spend quality time with them is special, it’s the silver lining.”
Whiteley is now only, a full four months after picking up the injury, on the road to full recovery after a number of, what some would describe as, misdiagnoses.
“I started off with rehabilitation, without an operation, but then when things didn’t get better, I had an op, for a sportsman’s groin injury,” explained the Lions and Bok skipper.
“Then, nothing happened. I didn’t get better and there was no improvement. We tried a number of different things and only after exploring all sorts of things, and doing a multitude of tests, did we find what was wrong. I had the nerves in the groin tested and that was the problem, and now we can work on that.
“What we found is that the nerves on the one side of the groin weren’t as active as they were on the other side, 45 percent less active actually. So now, having got the right diagnosis, it finally feels as if we’re moving forward, in the right direction.”
Whiteley admitted he was somewhat worried at one stage that he wasn’t healing. “We didn’t have answers and that was a challenge. At times I felt we were going nowhere, that there was no improvement and I wondered whether I’d actually get better. It was scary that we put so much work in, doing rehab and so on, and there was no progress.” With the “nerve blockage” now on the mend – it’s been three weeks since Whiteley started his current treatment – things are looking up once again. “I’m so grateful,” he says. “I’ll start jogging early next week but already I’ve made good strides.”
The regular Bok captain will again watch his Bok mates from afar and he feels they’re in for a good tour. “It’s another huge opportunity for them. It’s been a long season, with a lot of rugby, but they must embrace the challenges and use the opportunity in front of them.
“The team has to keep evolving, keep improving, but I believe they’re on the right track. I’ve seen plenty of improvement in the performances this year; they’ve been doing the right things, and I believe they’ll keep getting stronger as a team. The big thing for me is they must enjoy the next four weeks.
“I’m excited to watch them.” AN INTERNATIONAL cap is not something that can ever be taken for granted, even with the plethora of matches on the calendar these days. So, when that first call-up occurs, it comes with a deep sense of pride for the recipient.
“It definitely came as a bit of a shock, especially at my age, but it is still one of the best phone calls to get,” Robbie Frylinck said of his recent call-up to the Proteas T20 international squad.
“Being an international cricketer was something that I really wanted to do, so it doesn’t matter when the call came. To be able to walk onto the field and play was very special, and no one can ever take that cap away from me now.” HARD TO HANDLE: Robbie Frylinck admits that the step-up in intensity and quality to international cricket is immediately apparent.
Frylinck explained that the South African dressing-room was very welcoming, and he felt as if he had been part of the set-up for years.
“The guys definitely welcomed me with open arms. I am sure that it helps that I have played with or against a lot of them over the years, but it was a very comfortable environment to walk into,” the all-rounder said.
On the field, Frylinck agreed that the step-up in intensity and quality is immediately apparent. Though he started with three dot balls, two of his last three balls went to the fence, as Bangladesh came out blazing in Bloemfontein.
“I think our franchise system is of a very good standard, but the step-up is definitely apparent. Your margins for error are that much tighter, and batsmen are coming at you all the time,” he explained.
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan was his maiden international scalp, and Frylinck admits that he felt he had a chance with him, given the way he was playing.
“I didn’t expect him to come at me from ball one, but then I fancied my chances because of the way he was playing. He is certainly not a bad wicket to have as my first one, given his record in white-ball cricket over the years,” the 33-yearold pointed out.
The whole experience, Frylinck added, was one that filled him with pride, given the fact that the end is now closer than the beginning. It has been a stellar few years for him, on and off the field. He is a new father, a senior player at the Dolphins and, now, an international cricketer.
Given his bag of skills, he is also not giving up on the possibility of earning another cap, and perhaps bringing his wife and young daughter along for the experience.
Now, with that box ticked, attention turns back to the Dolphins, and their domestic fortunes.
The excitement over the T20 Global League is on ice, but Frylinck maintains that there is much to be played for this term.
“Obviously the T20 Global League is a tragedy on its own, but we have to move on and focus on our own goals as the Dolphins. The T20 Challenge is another trophy to try and put in the cabinet, and that will be our focus for the next few weeks,” Frylinck said.
The T20 Challenge starts next Friday.