‘I’m lucky leg wasn’t amputated’
ARUGBY player who broke his leg in two places was “lucky” not to have his leg amputated. Wayne Richards, 30, collided in a tackle and heard his leg snap, before collapsing to the floor. The selfemployed builder is now out of action for six to nine months while he recovers.
“When I collided everyone heard the bone snap and I was worried straight away. Everyone was worried dog mess had got in and there was a strong chance of infection as it was an open fracture,” he said.
“I felt faint and couldn’t remember much, but both teams stopped and the referee called off the game straight away and called the ambulance.”
The winger was playing for Penygroes RFC away against Ammanford RFC in a friendly. He waited 50 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
He said: “The wait for the ambulance was tough and the whole time I was worried about my leg. People were saying I may have to have my leg amputated if it had caught an infection, that was worrying.
“On the way to the hospital I was worried as the paramedics weren’t sure what had gone into my leg. It was only when we got to the hospital and they had done their scans we found out there was no dog mess. The doctors told me I was lucky as if there was an infection, my leg could have been amputated.” Penygroes rugby player Wayne Richards
Tests revealed both his tibia and fibula had been broken, leaving him off work.
Penygroes club secretary Neil Armstrong says the club has had longstanding issues with “irresponsible” dog owners.
“We are always telling dog owners to keep their dogs off the pitch as there has been a long issue,” he said.
“Most dog owners understand but some are irresponsible. When cutting the grass, dog owners have become aggressive and I have even had to call the police.”
Mr Richards added: “I have two dogs myself, I absolutely love dogs but letting them loose on park pitches is dangerous. The issue I want to highlight is about dog owners on rugby pitches.”
Penygroes councillor Dai Thomas says the council is considering putting signs up to warn dog owners.
He added: “90% of dog owners are responsible and will clean up after their pet, but some aren’t and this is who we’re appealing to. We’ve had plenty of issues and this has been going on for a while. Loads of rugby matches have had to be called off at half time due to the excess amount of dog mess. Dog owners have been issued with penalty charges and we hope this will send a message.”