Clyde glad to run with Brumbies

Clyde glad to run with Brumbies after so long

Mudskipper: Its just a reminder of what all these players risk every time we see and enjoy them taking the field. Best of luck to Clyde...

BY PETER FITZGERALDRUGBY UNION
20/11/2008 1:06:00 PM

Clyde Rathbone almost forgets what it feels like to wear an ACT Brumbies jersey under match conditions.
Not since March 2007 has the 27-year-old played a game of Super 14 rugby, sidelined by a series of knee injuries for the second half of that season and the entire 2008 campaign.

But the winger will get his first workout with his ACT teammates tomorrow after coach Andy Friend yesterday named him in a Brumbies team to play the Australian Sevens team.

http://twf.com.au/picture.php?albumid=39&pictureid=243

ttp://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/sport/rugby-union/clyde-glad-to-run-with-brumbies-after-so-long/1365722.aspx












It's been a long road back for Rathbone. First a corked thigh and then multiple knee injuries, which eventually required surgery, kept the former South African out of the game for the best part of 15 months.

He returned to play nine games for Easts in the Sydney club rugby competition from June this year.

And tomorrow he'll again don his beloved Brumbies jersey, even if it is only for a pre-season hit-out of Sevens rugby.

''It's been a while, hasn't it?'' Rathbone said yesterday.

''The knee is as good as it's going to get so I have no issues with that at all. It was definitely a mental test when I came back and played for Easts in the middle of the year because we didn't know how it would hold up but the physios and doctors monitored it and all was fine.''

Rathbone has been on a modified training schedule during the first month of Brumbies pre-season.

He has spent three days a week doing proper skills sessions with his teammates and two days doing off-field training such as bike rides and gym sessions.

He believed a hit-out against the Sevens squad tomorrow would prove the ideal test to see how both he and his knee were faring.

''The Sevens will provide us all with a chance to focus on a lot of the training blocks we have been doing because it will be high tempo and require use of a lot of energy, which is what we've been doing,'' Rathbone said.

''I'm feeling fit. It's been a big couple of weeks of training and I'm probably on schedule to where I wanted to be a month into the pre-season block.''

sorry I'm still getting the hang of formatting a new forum...

Seems ok to me, good to see the lad back in action, what a horror run...

I love Rathbone. Can't wait to see him back. Who knows..we may see him in green and gold before too long as well :)

they could get rid of Tuquiri :D

yeah I'd be really sad to see him go....

isnt he south african?

Wikipedia: A little more about Rathbone, the SA press give him a had time when he tours in the republic.

Clyde Rathbone (born 23 July 1981 in Durban, South Africa), nicknamed "Doug", is an Australian rugby union player. He currently plays for the Brumbies in Super 14 and internationally for Australia. He began his Australia career as a centre, but now mainly plays wing.

He spent his entire childhood in Durban and played most of his rugby as a South African junior, representing South African Schools and even captaining the under-21 national team to victory in the 2002 U21 Rugby World Cup. In the same year, he made his debut in the then-Super 12 for the Sharks. However, at the end of 2002, he chose to move to Australia, for which he was qualified to play by virtue of having an Australia-born paternal grandmother.

Rathbone joined the Brumbies for the 2003 season. After considerable speculation in the rugby world over which country he would represent at Test level, he opted for the Wallabies. This decision was very pleasing to Australians but not to South Africans. Rathbone made his Test debut in June 2004 against Scotland, and went on to score a hat trick of tries against England the following week. His form in the June Tests earned him a starting wing position for that year's Tri Nations Series. During that competition, he rubbed salt into the South African wounds by scoring a match-winning try against his former countrymen in Perth. When the Wallabies went on tour that November, he scored a pair of tries against Scotland at Murrayfield, but suffered a groin injury that kept him out of the year's final Test against England.

2005 was not the year it promised to be. Rathbone was injured for most of it, missing the Autumn series of Tests. In these tests, wingers like Drew Mitchell and Mark Gerrard have played well, but a fully fit Clyde Rathbone will likely be a strong competitor to play on the wing for the Wallabies.

In 2006 Rathbone has had a relatively quiet Super 14 season, but over the summer break of 2005-06 he got married to his long time girlfriend in their hometown of Durban. Rathbone's family have announced that they will relocate to Canberra this year, with both of his brothers Rory and Luke enrolled in Marist college.

In 2008 after having knee surgery for a torn patella tendon; having not played rugby for 15 months he signed a Shute Shield contract with the east-Sydney based team, Easts. Currently he is hoping that the Australian selectors are monitoring club rugby as he missed the last Super 14 tournament, and having 15 months out of the game has gone "off the radar" of the Australian selectors.

And a genuine decent guy...:approve:

i thought so:)