Du Preez good to go seven months after fracturing his larynx

When Joe Launchbury’s knee thundered into his throat just a few minutes into his debut for Worcester Warriors, Cornell du Preez knew something was seriously wrong.

He was struggling to breathe. When he rushed to the pitchside doctor, he could not speak. Fear was slowly rising.

“I did not know what was going on,” du Preez says. “The only thing I was worried about was breathing. That was the major concern. I was trying to speak to the doctor to explain what happened but there was nothing coming out. It was a bit terrifying.”

A fractured larynx is an injury more commonly associated with car crash victims when their throats ram into the steering wheel. In a sporting context, it is almost unheard of, and Worcester’s doctor had to review video of the incident, which was accidental, several times to identify what had happened.

“As soon as it happened, I tried to stay calm, which is difficult to do when something like that happens,” says du Preez, who has won six caps for Scotland. “You have to do that because if you freak yourself out, it gets even harder.”

Du Preez’s problems were just beginning. For four weeks, he lay in a hospital bed unable to speak. He underwent a tracheostomy, where a hole was cut in his throat to assist his breathing while another tube delivered food to his stomach via his nose. A stoic type, du Preez says that he was not unduly affected by this month of enforced silence, although the presence of his girlfriend, Anel, by his bedside provided comfort.

“To be fair, I am a pretty quiet guy anyway,” du Preez says. “I can keep quiet for quite a while. It was frustrating at times, especially if you want to get a point across or ask the doctors questions about what was going on. I just kept writing stuff down and they were very helpful in explaining stuff to me until I had no more questions.

“I had my girlfriend with me the whole time, who was very supportive, and that helped a lot. It was a tough time for her as well. She was in the Cayman Islands when it happened and I sent her a message saying, ‘I think you need to get a flight back’. By the time I woke up, she was there.”

For a long time after being discharged from hospital, du Preez could speak only in a low, raspy whisper. Even now, he describes his voice as a “bit scuffy” and he bears a thick red scar across his throat.

With such a rare injury, the medical staff were unsure whether he could resume his career. Yet just seven months on, the 28-year-old back rower is in line to play in Worcester’s Challenge Cup quarterfinal at home to Harlequins tomorrow.

“Initially it was about getting your best quality of life, getting you breathing and talking again,” du Preez says. “As the months went on, you are improving and recovering a lot better. I had a lot of scans over all these months and then the doctor said everything had healed as well as it can and it had got the same robustness as everyone else. When I heard that, I was pretty happy to be able to do what I have been doing since I grew up.

“You just realise how quickly everything can be taken away from you. I learned a lot about myself and being grateful for what you take for granted sometimes. Some days, you’re tired and you don’t feel like training, but now, I’m just happy to be involved again, because it can be taken away so quickly.

“It is weird that I miss having contact. When you look at games, I don’t know how people run into each other like that, but it is something you miss when you don’t have it.”

In fact, this is the second careerthreatening injury du Preez has come back from. Four years ago, while playing for Edinburgh, he suffered a broken ankle that left his right foot hanging at a gruesomely implausible angle from his leg.

Yet despite his outrageous misfortune, du Preez, who has a verse from the Bible — 2 Samuel 22:33: “God is my strength and power” — tattooed on his left arm, never interpreted that as a sign to move away from rugby.

“I still love the game and I feel I still have a lot to prove here. I’ll know the day when my body can’t take it any more but, at the moment, I’m feeling as good as ever.”