Some time after 4pm today Phil Vickery will ease himself off the bench at Sixways Stadium, where London Wasps are playing Worcester Warriors in a match that is of vital importance to both clubs for different reasons. The Warriors are staring at relegation and Wasps are seeking to reach the Guinness Premiership play-offs.
Having stripped off his tracksuit, he will await the signal to be allowed on, then the 34-year-old tight-head stalwart will trundle back into action for only his fourth game of the season after six months out with a neck injury. Such is his standing in the game that Vickery is assured of a warm welcome from all supporters.
They recognise what Vickery has been through to get to this point. That he has been able to do so is tribute not only to the medical skills of Richard Nelson, a Bristol-based neurosurgeon who has rescued the career of “the Raging Bull” on four occasions, but also to the determination and bloody-minded dedication of the player.
Over the years the relationship between the two has grown from that of doctor-patient to one of friendship and mutual respect. Vickery makes no secret of his gratitude to Nelson and the latter describes the former England captain and 2003 World Cup winner as an exceptional man.
Not many players, probably only Jonny Wilkinson apart, have endured what Vickery has over the past decade in terms of physical setbacks.
This will be his fourth comeback from a back or neck injury, any one of which could have ended his career. Throw in a shattered cheekbone, a broken arm and numerous battle scars and the scale of Vickery’s triumph over adversity becomes apparent.
Nelson has operated on many elite athletes. “I do not know of any other sportsman who has had that number of injuries who has been prepared to go through what he has,” he said. “He loves the game, is committed to it and is a fighter. Some may say he is being obstinate by carrying on, but that is the character he is. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to look after him.”
Vickery’s faith in Nelson is absolute. “I trust him implicitly,” he said. “Nothing has ever been too much trouble. Once I remember he was due to go out for supper with his wife but I needed something and she came to the consulting rooms with him. He is just a really, really good guy.”
Nelson said most players would have retired after one or perhaps two of the injuries Vickery has suffered. To recover from three to his lower back — the last of which was particularly serious, with complicated nerve-root compression — given the pressure and forces that shoot through a prop’s body is remarkable.
The neck problem that occurred during the Amlin Challenge Cup match against Racing Métro 92 last October was potentially devastating. Vickery recalls the incident with clarity. “Scrum collapsed,” he said, matter of factly. “I didn’t get my head out. It collapsed on top of me. There was a lot of pain. From the moment it happened I knew this was different. The pain was different to anything I had experienced.”
The operation involved making an incision to the front of the neck, the windpipe and other vessels were pushed aside, and a worn-out disc was replaced with a titanium implant to clamp together the C6/C7 vertebrae and relieve pressure on the spinal cord. Six months of intensive rehabilitation followed.
“Had to get the nerves firing again,” Vickery said. “My left side had almost wasted away. It is not something you can rush or cut corners. You are not talking about preparing your body to go for a walk. You have got to train your body and get it ready to be smashed up again.”
For him, having the operation was a necessity just to be able to resume normal life. But if there was a chance to extend his career — in which he has won every honour, including 73 England caps — he wanted to take it.
“I would love to play for England again,” he said.
Nelson said it has taken tremendous courage for Vickery to prepare to play again when there is such inherent risk. Vickery does not allow himself to think twice about the possible dangers.
“First scrum, just fire in and whatever happens, happens,” he said. “That’s the only thing you can do. I wanted to give myself every opportunity [to play again]. If it goes wrong, at least I can put my hand on heart and say, ‘I tried.’ ”
In the wars
2003 First serious lower-back injury, with bulging disc. Missed Six Nations Championship but recovered to help England to win the World Cup.
2004 Second significant operation on his back after nerve-root compression. Six months on sidelines.
2005 Broke right arm against Bath and out for seven months.
2006 Third and most serious back injury, which required further surgery.
2009 Neck injury against Racing Métro 92. Titanium disc inserted.
• Has also damaged knee ligaments and fractured his cheekbone.
Words by Mark Souster