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Wallabies cancer survivor Christian Lealiffano being carefully monitored
By Online Editors
Cancer survivor Christian Lealiifano's final season in Australia is being carefully managed by the Wallabies at the Rugby World Cup.
Strength and conditioning coach Brad Harrington revealed Lealiifano's wellbeing is handled differently to the rest of the 31-man squad in Japan to cater for what his body has been through.
Having returned to rugby in late 2017 after taking a year out to undergo treatment for leukaemia, Lealiifano went from strength to strength with the Brumbies and was the busiest of any Australian player this season.
Remarkably, he started all 18 Super Rugby games and was subbed off late in just three of them, defying any doubts over his conditioning levels.
Harrington said Lealiifano was faster and stronger than before his cancer episode, which was a measure of his character.
However, Wallabies medical staff are vigilant over his wellbeing, allowing him greater recovery time from games, providing with more gym work and lighter training loads elsewhere.
"Obviously Christian's a different case where we need to look at how he's travelling with his health each week and manage him accordingly," Harrington said.
"It's just probably the intensity of the game takes more out of him and he's getting older too, so we've got to manage our older athletes a little bit differently.
"That's the sort of balancing act with him but it's something that the Brumbies did really well this year and we've learned a fair bit off them."
Lealiifano, who turned 32 last week, leaves for Japan following the tournament.
He farewelled Australia with a sublime final campaign for the Brumbies, playing his 150th game when they lost their semi-final to the Jaguares in Buenos Aires.
Lealiifano hasn't found his best form since the stunning Bledisloe Cup win in Perth in August but remains in contention to reclaim the No.10 jersey after Bernard Foley struggled during Sunday's loss to Wales.
- AAP
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika and captain Michael Hooper were both left flummoxed after Australia's loss to Wales:
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Latest Comments
Yeah well you guys couldn't do it at home could you, never mind in Italia. Theyve been good for a few years now, 23' when France and Ireland were at their best were arguably better Italian performances than this years 6N results.
My point was of course they don't want to get ahead of themselves and then lose against teams that they should be beating. That's the difficulty with getting better and better.
Go to commentsThey’re being dressed as midfielders. Neither of them is a natural midfielder, they’re both converts.
You can call a rose by any other name, yada yada, as Billy Shakespeare says. Semantics.
New Zealand went all the way from having a surplus of midfielders in about 2015 to having to convert wingers and two different utility backs (Havili, Jordie). How did that happen?
All the while actual specialist 12s and 13s are not even getting a proper shot. Laumape lost patience with that nonsense. Big Leicester as well (now that’s a winger convert that would actually make sense at 13). It’s literally stupid not to try players out.
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