Wallaby Hooker Lucky To Escape Serious Injury

Wallaby hooker Brendan Cannon said he was lucky not to have lost the sight in one eye after a nightclub incident at the weekend which left him needing facial surgery.
Cannon said he was hopeful of playing for the NSW Waratahs in
their
make-or-break Super 12 rugby match against the Queensland Reds in
Brisbane on
Saturday despite the incident.

He was planning to wear headgear and “every protective
bandage I can” to
protect the three deep lacerations on his head from an alleged attack
with a
smashed glass on Saturday.

Cannon had layers of stitches inserted in the wounds which start
two or
three centimetres from his left eye and continue up to the top of his
forehead.
“I would not say I am angry, I think I am exceptionally
fortunate,” Cannon
told reporters at Waratahs’ training on Monday.

“Unfortunate that it happened, but fortunate in a way the
injuries I
sustained could have been a lot worse.”

Cannon, 31, had been catching up with Highlanders and All Blacks
hooker
Anton Oliver at the nightclub following the Otago-based team’s
stunning 29-28
win over the Waratahs earlier that night.

It isn’t the first time Cannon has a suffered serious facial
injury with
the forward nearly losing his life and needing 50 stitches in his
head after a
car accident in 1993.

He appeared unconcerned about opening up his new scars against the
Reds in
a match the Waratahs must win to have any chance of making the Super
12 finals.
“The only risk I would take would be reopening the scars, and
I have a
number of scars already on my forehead,” Cannon said.

“So that is the only risk that some of the scars were quite
deep and some
were near the bone or near my skull, so obviously there is a
risk.”

A 29-year-old man will be facing court later this month charged
with
malicious wounding and assault in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, Wallaby fly half Stephen Larkham has signed a two-year extension of his contract with the
Australian
Rugby Union in a big boost for the national side.

Larkham, who turns 30 this month, rejected large offers from
several
overseas clubs to remain in Australia.
“There is nothing better than pulling on a gold Wallaby
jersey and playing
for your country, so from that point of view it was an easy
decision,” said
Larkham, the expansive playmaker for the Wallabies.

“It is a big year ahead for the Wallabies. The team will be
keen to bounce
back in a big way after the disappointment of the Rugby World Cup
final, and
that’s something I really want to be a part of,” he said,
referring to the
Wallabies agonising extra-time loss to England.

Larkham has played 66 Tests, including the 1999 World Cup triumph
and last
year’s World Cup runner-up finish and has sparkled this Super 12
season with
the ACT Brumbies.

Wallaby coach Eddie Jones welcomed Larkham’s decision.
“Stephen is a player with amazing talent and a wealth of
experience and
it’s great that he’s made the decision to stay in Australia,”
Jones said.

“To know that you have someone with his capabilities on your
side is
definitely a bonus, particularly as we are up against some impressive
opponents in the coming tests.”

Australia has a World Cup final rematch with England in Brisbane
in June as
well as two Tests against Scotland and the Tri-Nations series against
New
Zealand and South Africa scheduled for July and August.

AFP – 2004.