'Madness' succumbs to crook shoulder
When Western Force and Wallabies back-rower Hugh McMeniman described his latest injury, he made it sound nothing worse than a bruised left shoulder.
He gave a clue that it was something a little more serious when he said: "Not many people have seen a shoulder like this."
A quick search of medical websites for "fractured coracoid" put it into perspective: a rare type of injury usually associated with a crash victim being thrown from a car into a wall.
Yet McMeniman played with the damage until he was forced from the field in last Saturday's Bledisloe Cup Test.
Perhaps it was not so surprising for someone who goes by the nickname of "Madness" and for whom the words "self" and "preservation" do not figure in the same sentence.
It is the latest in a series of injuries that have bugged McMeniman throughout his career.
He will have a complete shoulder reconstruction next week to fix the fractured coracoid and other damage caused by seasons of playing his abrasive style of rugby but is confident he will be back stronger for next year's Super Rugby season.
He first cracked the bone against the Melbourne Rebels in April. Surgery looked to be on the cards but the damage seemed to have healed and he put in good performances in the final two Super games of the year to earn his 22nd Wallaby appearance.
But, at some time during those two Force games, two games for local club Associates or in the Test, the bone split.
"I copped a few whacks when I came back but I don't know when the damage happened," he said.
"There was pain, it just wasn't feeling right, but I wasn't aware until Monday what was wrong. It is very frustrating, annoying, but I'm glad I've found out what's wrong.
"I couldn't continue with the shoulder as it was. The point had come where I was not confident in playing the way I want to play.
"My ruck stats were down, for example, because I couldn't put my arms down to pinch the ball.
"It's good to know that it's not just in my head. I still feel like I've got a lot to give. I've had too many holiday breaks because of injury."
Though he would not ease back on the aggression, McMeniman said there were some areas of his game that needed adjusting.
He put himself in the wrong position when he was initially hurt, trying to regather a ball he had knocked on after hitting a hole that had closed on him.
"I shouldn't have run that line and I put my body in a bad position," he said. "I went over the ball and was loose. I shouldn't have been in that situation.
"I've got to be sensible in the way I play. There are things I should do better, changing points like running into rucks full tilt and my body position."
It is very frustrating, annoying, but I'm glad I've found out what's wrong."Hugh McMeniman
