Schickerling thankful he'll be back after breaking neck

South African under-20 and Western Province under-21 lock JD Schickerling, 19, might return to rugby within a year after two successful operations.

He sustained serious neck injuries while playing for WP under-20s against the Blue Bulls two weeks ago.

"I went through a number of emotions in the past two weeks, which haven't been easy," Schickerling told MyPlayers.co.za.

"Frustration, disappointment, sadness, fear, anger . but I'm thankful that everything now seems to be fine. The injury was very serious but the doctors have managed to help me. They asked if I wanted to play rugby again, and I said 'yes', so I went through a second operation to insert another plate in the back of my neck.

"I was very close to not being able to play again. I'm very glad that I will have a second opportunity to be a rugby player.

"However, the doctors have warned me that it will take a lot of patience and hard work over the next year to make a successful comeback.

"I have started walking slowly recently and I experience improvements every day, which is very encouraging."