Rugby gives Jack ‘new lease of life’
FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD Jack Powles was on his way to a GCSE exam when he was hit by a car and knocked off his bike. He was left with brain damage, blindness and a broken leg.
But after 14 years of what his dad, Carl, 54, described as “complete hell”, life has changed for the better – and it’s all down to rugby.
The launch of a new rugby club, the Port Talbot Panthers, has given Jack the chance to play rugby, and it’s made a massive difference to the family’s lives.
It was in 2005 that Jack’s life changed forever. On the day of the accident, Jack had changed his morning routine to watch the first half of a Lions v New Zealand game.
“Ironically, it was his love for rugby that made him late for school on that day,” said Carl, from Grove Road, Bridgend.
After the collision, doctors rushed to save the keen rugby player, who was regularly featuring for Bridgend and Wales’ youth rugby league side, and had to put him in a five-week coma.
When Jack came around, Carl knew his son’s life on and off the field had changed for ever: “He’d lost a lot of feeling in his left side, his sight had gone, he had broken his leg, and it took him months to learn to walk and talk again.
“One of the worst parts during his rehab was that he didn’t know who to trust – sometimes he didn’t trust that I was his father.”
But he said it was his son’s love for rugby that was “helping him get back on his feet”.
After waking from the coma, Jack has fought to recover as much as possible, both physically and mentally, and has regained much of his feeling on his left side.
Carl said: “The last 14 years have been complete hell. Our life was turned upside down. Jack was a good lad – a really ambitious and clever boy – but his blindness and brain damage has meant he has never managed to get a job.
“We all got ourselves into a bit of a rut and didn’t know where to go next. We just tried to get on with it day by day. Then we heard about the Panthers’ launch.”
After meeting with Darren Carew, a disability coordinator with the WRU, and Andrew Harrison, volunteer and organiser of the Panthers, Carl was relieved to have found some hope for Jack and his family.
“Andrew and Darren have so much energy and big hearts, I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done for us.”
Andrew was concerned so many players with disabilities were turning up for training at the Aberavon Green Stars, where he also plays, and not getting the full experience of playing games.
With the help of Ospreys and the WRU to spread awareness, the Panthers launched by inviting fellow mixed-ability clubs, Swansea Gladiators, Llanelli Warriors and Celtic Rail Barbarians for a charity day at the Green Stars.
Carl said the day was inspiring and emotional: “There were four games and Jack played 15 minutes of each.
“I can’t tell you how much that means for us as a family. Seeing him in his scrum cap with his boots on was unbelievable.
“All the family came to watch him. I can’t remember when so many of us were in one place together.”
Thirty-four players of all abilities turned out for the Panthers, with various disabilities like cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome and mental health issues.
Carl added: “There was a lad with cerebral palsy who came all the way from Cwmbran to play. I’d only just met him and he asked me to do his shoelaces. I know it sounds daft, but it was a real privilege and has stuck with me.”
Since the launch, Carl said he had seen an undoubted improvement in Jack: “It has given us all a new lease of life and Jack a focus again.
“It’s got him looking forward to buying his kit, he is often in the gym at the bottom of the garden trying to get better.
“Before this he had just got me and his mother. I’ve never felt as confident as now that I won’t always have to be there for him.
“I’m hoping the skills Jack gains can open up other doors for him. It’ll get him out there and talking to people.”
Besides thanking the club, Carl is desperate to make sure the Panthers thrive and leave a legacy for future generations of less able sports fans.
“It can’t just be a oneoff – it’s far too good and is far too important. There are lots of good people behind this and I’m really confident about the future of the club.”
Organiser Andrew, 43, who also supports students at Neath and Port Talbot College, believes the club is about much more than rugby.
He said: “I felt guilty watching training at the Green Stars because we couldn’t give these lads the whole experience.
“The team was of a pretty high level and there aren’t enough seconds rugby sides in South Wales for them to get game time, so I decided something had to be done.
“It’s amazing what a rugby match can do. Some of them don’t come out of their houses usually, so to be able to take them around the country will be great. Hopefully they can develop some confidence and a sense of belonging they can hold onto when they need it. I’d love the club to develop some contacts with employment groups. We’ve been in touch with Jobcentres who seem interested in doing something with us.”
Andrew wants anyone who would like to get involved in rugby but who does not feel comfortable in joining a mainstream side to consider attending training.
He added: “Training and games are on Sundays and the games will be against similar sides. There’ll be no pressure to fight for points. Hopefully we can make this a legacy for Port Talbot.”