Monday, December 01, 2008
The Stirling Mortlock and Jamie Roberts headclash
The huge clash of heads between Mortlock and big Jamie Roberts just a few minutes into the game saw the Wallaby captain having to leave the field looking rather worse for wear.
Roberts miraculously stayed on for another 15 minutes before going off, but it has since been revealed that he has a skull fracture.
Welsh team doctor John Williams was shocked by the injury, later stating that Roberts, a medical student himself, would be out of action until the middle of January, three weeks before Wales begin their defence of the Six Nations championship.
"I've never seen anything like this and I was talking to some of my colleagues and they have never seen anything like this," said Williams.
"It was a collision of heads at a certain angle with a certain momentum causing a crack.
"Second week of January he could be back in contact which is three weeks before the Six Nations. We will just watch over the next two or three weeks while this heals."
Williams added: "He was admitted last night with a fracture to his skull. He is comfortable, pain-free. He will be out of training for six weeks to give it a chance to heal and then back in the New Year.
"It is a fracture extending back from above the nose along the roof of the eye towards the central structures in the base of the skull.
"It is a clean fracture which should heal very easily. It's an undisplaced fracture so it means that it is a crack which hasn't moved so it hasn't caused any internal damage to the brain.
"After the contact Stirling Mortlock looked like he had come off worse. Jamie was conscious throughout and there were no signs of anything, no suggestion of a fracture or any problem with his nose or eyes. The contact was with his forehead.
"And then the headache gradually came on as he was playing about five minutes after and we pulled him off as the headache got worse.
"He is a pretty tough guy. He texted the team (from the hospital) and the team thanked him for taking Stirling Mortlock out of the game!"
Time: 01:53
Posted at 8:35 pm | 62 comments
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Viewing 62 comments
Gazzy B December 01, 2008 9:32 pm
Jamie Roberts must be hard as nails !!! fractured skull and he kept playing
steve December 01, 2008 11:12 pm
that is ridiculous!!i feel pretty bad now that i gave out when i saw him miss a tackle a few minutes after that!i wonder would a soccer player have played on??
Anonymous December 01, 2008 11:27 pm
"It is a fracture extending back from above the nose along the roof of the eye towards the central structures in the base of the skull."Bloody hell, he practically cracked his skull open and still played for 15mins. He was part of the Shane Williams try too.Dont come much harder!
Anonymous December 01, 2008 11:38 pm
he said it felt like 'a big headache' thats bloody great lol
K Lu December 01, 2008 11:52 pm
Crazy crazy. At least Australia was classier than New Zealand and didn't use an injured Welsh player on the field as an "obstacle" to the defense like the Kiwis did last week against Wales. Good luck to both Roberts and Mortlock in recovering!
bob December 02, 2008 12:28 am
omg.. thats just bloody insane.. the scary part was he played on for another 15 minutes.. get goose bumps thinking he was running ard tackling and getting tackled with one hell of a fracture on his skull.. hope he recovers soon.. just scary stuff
ryebye December 02, 2008 1:47 am
"He texted the team (from the hospital) and the team thanked him for taking Stirling Mortlock out of the game!"lol great stuff!!!
Anonymous December 02, 2008 1:50 am
Christ Almighty! Although, you have to love the Welsh boys for their thanks to the lad.
Timmeh December 02, 2008 1:54 am
One tough bastard... How would you suppose a cracked skull would feel. I couldn't imagine being able to play on...Mind over body i guess?
censu December 02, 2008 2:27 am
Any news on Mortlock's situation? Considering Roberts played on for 15 mins with a skull fracture and the aussie had to be helped off the pitch immediately after the clash of heads, either he got it really really really bad or else he exaggerated a bit too much?
canrugby December 02, 2008 5:10 am
haha oh man, its too bad they got injured, otherwise its all too comical. they were both comin up hard and watching the ball... they had no idea the other was even there. had mortlock caught it he'd be under the sticks
nick December 02, 2008 6:40 am
danm it was frustrating watching the wallabies throw away chance after chance , luke burgess should be dropped !!!!! he was shocking i think lossing mortlock was a big set back could of even cost us the game , although i give wales full credit, they were the better team by far , i hope aus play like wales did when we play the baa baas at wembley!!!!!
Vincent December 02, 2008 9:31 am
did you know? those big guys have swapped jerseys while laying out in the Clinic at the Millennium Stadium. That's ,on my opinion, what rugby is all about.
Anonymous December 02, 2008 9:50 am
"...lossing mortlock was a big set back could of even cost us the game"Wales have been without a chunk of their first team for the whole of the series.Gavin Henson, Huw Bennett, Mike Phillips, Jonathan Thomas, Sonny Parker and eventually Dunacn Jones and Ian Evans.
Anonymous December 02, 2008 9:50 am
Bit worrying that roberts was even allowed to play on, poor work for the welsh med team.
Rich December 02, 2008 10:32 am
Yeah, really poor work! They should have brough an x-ray machine onto the pitch....clown
Anonymous December 02, 2008 11:13 am
to censu...exaggerated a bit much?this is the guy whose head has just fractured the head of an opposing player?you're a muppet - both players were written off - obviously mortlock's head hurt a bit more after the moment of impact which is why he departed straight away. Roberts had the guts and the luck to keep playing until the sting caught up with him. Keep your comments to football forums where players dive - not to union forums where they get laid out. And before anyone asks - Wales deserved to win.
Matt_Drinks_New December 02, 2008 11:14 am
that comment above was not anonymous.It was from Matt_Drinks_New if anyone has anything to reply.sorry to admin.
thedannyclayton December 02, 2008 11:31 am
to be fair to that guy I think any serious head collision should be treated like the blood replacement. Give it 5 minutes and see if vision is impared/migraine sets on and then take them off/put them back on. But to get smashed by Mortlock and stay on when he MAY have been seriously injured doesn't make sense...imo!
Anonymous December 02, 2008 12:16 pm
imagine cristiano ronaldo playing on with a fractured skull? haa
Lu Lux Lan December 02, 2008 12:52 pm
"At least Australia was classier than New Zealand and didn't use an injured Welsh player on the field as an "obstacle" to the defense like the Kiwis did last week against Wales"You can't be rugby player - you play to the whistle. If the ref doesn't blow it and you're running with the ball you're not going to suddenly stop and say "hang on hang on guys, time out - that bloke over there is injured lets all stop and wait for him to get up shall we"Go back to fooball you ponce >(
dr December 02, 2008 12:57 pm
I did a similar thing once although I fractured my face after a knee impact. Tried to play on but like jamie roberts my headache got gradually worse eventually going totally numb and i lost the ability to do much other than lie on my back lol. I recovered quickly with no need for surgery but developed epilespy the next year.
dennis December 02, 2008 1:04 pm
either he got it really really really bad or else he exaggerated a bit too much? didn't use an injured Welsh player on the field as an "obstacle" to the defense like the Kiwis did last week against Walesman there are some brainless people on here
Lucus December 02, 2008 1:29 pm
it was a pitty that two great players had to leave the game so early. To be honest the collision didnt really look as bad as it came out to be, so as long as the player says "im okay, i can carry on" then the med's cant really do anything else to help other than keep a close eye. Hope both players recover quickly!
Anonymous December 02, 2008 2:58 pm
Chris Simms, an American football quarterback finished the last twenty minutes of a pro game with a lacerated spleen (from a seriously hard hit). Afterwards he had a third of the spleen removed because it was to damaged to heal itself. He was out for six months recovering. I'd like to see some of the athletes here playing rugby abroad, would take some coaching to get their skills up to snuff, but I think eventually they could at least give it a go.Stu Pidasso
durrie December 02, 2008 5:20 pm
Always a horrible sight to see two players hurt themsleves but it's part of the game and sh1t happens as they say...I tell you Roberts was just lucky Mortlock decieded to go for the intercept instead of on of his usual pulvorising midriff tackles or else Roberts would have been hurting and still off to hospital but Mortlock would have just been smiling.
Benjamin Kern December 02, 2008 5:27 pm
Oh my ! Fractured skull... This man's my god
Miquel December 02, 2008 5:31 pm
Hi !!As someone has said before...dou you think Oz could win that game with Mortlock on the picth? He's the captain and the score was really close...
steve December 02, 2008 6:37 pm
I think soo. But You will never know. You can't compare mortlock to the guy who replaced him. mortlock with his ball carrying crossing the gain line evrytime he charges forward. i was verry inpressed with him in the england game.
Anonymous December 02, 2008 6:59 pm
Miquel > Take a look at the list of players Wales had missing. Their 12 and 13 partnership was makeshift coming into the Autumn series. They were missing their first chice 12 (Henson), their first choice 9 (Phillips), their first choice hooker (Bennett) along with other experienced heads like Parker and Duncan Jones.
Pitseleh December 02, 2008 7:41 pm
Let's think too that the score has been close only because Welsh players have already won and let the Australians score in the last seconds.
Joe December 02, 2008 9:27 pm
Nick says danm it was frustrating watching the wallabies throw away chance after chance Imagine being an Engalnd Fan
Anonymous December 02, 2008 10:08 pm
"The Wallabies slumped to a 21-18 loss to Wales on Saturday after failing to overcome the second-minute departure of talismanic captain Stirling Mortlock two minutes into the game at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff"as opposed to the second minute departure 3 minutes into the game?!?
Matt December 02, 2008 11:12 pm
stu piddaso, some of america's top football players ( NLF) have actually come over and played rugby for some low league teams. When their season finished. I only caught a glimpse as it was a part of a program, and the american football player said that he found it great fun, and wasent used to carrying the ball in hand yet. Great idea, proud to be welsh, and loving the comments about football players haha
Ave88 December 03, 2008 12:10 am
if he had gone into another big head collisation while playing with his fractured skull (although very unlikely to occur to the same player with that much intensity in the same game), his head could have poped open... just imagine the sight of that... not a great incitment for youngster to play the game ^^
Martin December 03, 2008 9:29 am
@MattIt was just one guy, Dhani Jones a linbacker for the Philadelphia Eagles(at the time), and he only did it because it was part of a series of programs he was recording for the Travel Channel.
Anonymous December 03, 2008 11:39 am
i think that if mortlock hadnt been injured they would have won the match pretty easily!!
Tikiti December 03, 2008 12:45 pm
"Anonymous said... i think that if mortlock hadnt been injured they would have won the match pretty easily!!"...and that's why you can't even enter a name on a website let alone work as a rugby expert. Thick cunt.
Gary December 03, 2008 12:45 pm
tbh i'm not suprised mortlock went off, Jamie studies at Cardiff Uni and i've seen the guy, he is fucking huge. about 110kg and a tall fucker crashing heads with him would be like running into a brick wall. there is no way either of those were faking anything, maybe Mortlock could have carried on but 10 minutes later he would have been in the same situation as Roberts and no use to anyone.What i want to draw attention to was the great response from the crowd when Mortlock stood up, sure it wasn't a standing ovation but its still great to see the respect fans have for the opposition players.
dr December 03, 2008 1:09 pm
Gary,thats one of the things that makes rugby a great sport. Mutial respect.That said, some of the England crowd seem to be going the way of their football fans. Booing kickers and singing that awful song that they sing during the haka. I bet most of you don't even know why u sing that particular African American Spiritual song. It has nothing to do with England or Rugby (except that it has always been a popular song in general) and is totally irrelevant to todays team.
dr December 03, 2008 5:32 pm
LMAOI don't get it. Are you comparing me to Slipknot? If so, Thanks :) ...... however you need to work on your insults as you are you are currently giving the impression of being only semi-literate, and thats at a push.If you would like lessons, I would be happy to show you how its correctly done.
Matt December 03, 2008 8:55 pm
Thanks martin, wasent sure where id seen it.Still a pretty interesting question though, would be interesting to see how NFL players get on without about 5 inches of padding around them:P
canrugby December 03, 2008 9:16 pm
"I tell you Roberts was just lucky Mortlock decieded to go for the intercept instead of on of his usual pulvorising midriff tackles or else Roberts would have been hurting and still off to hospital but Mortlock would have just been smiling."Did you see how quickly Roberts was coming up? Bout the same speed as mortlock, difference being Roberts is a little heavier. Mortlock might've tackled him but it certainly wouldn't have pulverised him.
Anonymous December 03, 2008 10:05 pm
as an american, I grew up playing school yard american football, but turned to footy at fifteen. I got tired of pussies kicking me on purpose and finally got turned on to rugby (where I can knuckle your ass if you try that pansy shit and get a beer in return in the pub for it) at twenty. i've never looked back and at forty am running our local clubs youth league. I've migrated from fullback to fly-half to hooker and back to fullback where I play now for our club. A bit heavy and a bit old, but I know enough to keep our squad out of trouble with some well placed kicks (helps to keep the other team's fullback running around like a headless chicken). I love it and will promote it over american football any day. Am looking forward to trying to attend RWC 2011 in NZ. Ruck on brothers and if you get the chance to tour the states with your club swing through Texas to see some of us boys, we'd love to host. MAD DOG RUGBY RAH!! www.maddogrugy.comStu pidasso
thedannyclayton December 04, 2008 12:02 pm
Dr you are talking crap."That said, some of the England crowd seem to be going the way of their football fans. Booing kickers and singing that awful song that they sing during the haka.I bet most of you don't even know why u sing that particular African American Spiritual song. It has nothing to do with England or Rugby (except that it has always been a popular song in general) and is totally irrelevant to todays team."Most of us do know the story of why Swing Low first started being sung at Twickers back in the 80s.Also I have actually been to the Millennium stadium many times and they regularly boo the opposition kicks. I don't agree with it in the slightest but it doesn't just happen at HQ. Also why should NZ get an anthem and a war dance? We have every right to react to it as fans, and I personally believe most NZ players respect the crowd getting involved.
dr December 04, 2008 4:38 pm
"Most of us do know the story of why Swing Low first started being sung at Twickers back in the 80s"Its an easy statement to make and doesn't stop me doubting itI wish folk would stop moaning about the haka. Im no expert on maori history, but is the haka not supposed to invoke a responce? Is that not sort of the point of it?Booing the other team, especially during kicks is a different thing. And fyi the last match I watch at Millenium Stadium, it was totally silent during kicks and the like and the Welsh showed full respect.love :)
fastmongrel December 04, 2008 8:11 pm
i once tried to play on with a broken nose and concussion I was seeing double and kept losing track of what was happening. This was in the days before subs. Eventually the skipper told me to get off I went back to the changing rooms and collapsed. I ended up off work for a week. Dont ever think of playing on if your badly hurt its not macho its just stupid and it could end your playing days.
Dune December 04, 2008 11:18 pm
I still havent seen the collision properly, because the pic when I watched it on TV was blurred because the camera was moving and now it's been removed from rugbydump, annoying...Anyway, massive respect for playing on after taking a hit like that. The Aussies losing Mortlock probably did have an impact on the way they played, but I don't think the result would have been too much different if he'd stayed on. Mortlock did take a lot longer to get up after the collision than Roberts, and took him 5/10 mins or so to recover from watever it was that forced him off - whether it was concussion, it probably was - but I don't know. In the end Roberts stopped playing because the headache was so bad.I'm hoping that Travel Channel shows Dhani Jones series soon, coz I want to see him play rugby.
darsielatimer December 05, 2008 10:06 am
Shame on you, Rugbydump.I have been visiting this site for the last 18 months now, and love it. Highlighting this clip, however, is shameful, and disgraces you.The accidental collision between Roberts and Mortlock was as close to disaster as it is possible to get on the rugby field. It should not be shown as entertainment, and doing so can only belittle the serious lasting brain damage that both players incurred. It was precisely that sort of impact that has reduced Frazier and Ali to shambling incoherent shells, and should be treated as a dark incident that could have been so much worse, not as web-site fodder.Brain cells do not grow back, you know, and not only is this incident devoid of skill, bravery, or any other positive rugby virtue, it makes both players less able to thrill us in the future. Most of all, though, showing this incident out of context makes us blase about the dangers rugby players face, especially when playing on. Had Roberts been hit again, the world would have been deprived of a talented rugby player, an intelligent medical student, and, by all acounts a great human being. Please dont show this sort of thing in future. When John Thomson, the Glasgow Celtic goalkeeper died on the field of play, no clips were shown of the collision. Reaction to this impact should begin with shock, and end with revulsion. Nothing more.As a responsible website, it is your duty.
frankyH December 05, 2008 1:53 pm
lol what a tit darsielatimer is. It's rugbydump's responsibility TO show incidents, not to avoid showing them because of the sensitive few. Nothing wrong with showing this imo. Only thing wrong is that those hawaian t-shirt wearing tools at mediazone have felt the need to remove it.
darsielatimer December 05, 2008 4:39 pm
How much of a tool is FrankyH?I enjoy a good game of rugby as much as the next person, but there is nothing to be gained from watching this clip. If you believe that there is a "responsibility" inherent in showing damaging head on head collisions, then you are sick. Show skill, and big hits, but life threatening injuries? How about no. Grow a pair of balls.
darsielatimer December 05, 2008 4:46 pm
Just want to add that that last post was not intended as a personal attack on rugbydump - it was a response to FrankyH. I think you guys generally do a great job, love the site, just obviously feel a bit strongly about that clip.
Anonymous December 06, 2008 1:48 am
darsielatimarI can see your point of view, but its on this site cause people want to see it, not a great thing to see but at the same time it's intresting. I think you've made this seem worse than it really is. No-body wants these players to suufer but it just happens
No.5 December 06, 2008 6:44 pm
"I wish folk would stop moaning about the haka. Im no expert on maori history, but is the haka not supposed to invoke a responce? Is that not sort of the point of it?"probably the cleverest thing dr has said all his life!
Jeroz November 04, 2010 12:56 pm
"It's like quade cooper is going to come on"
how time has passed
how time has passed
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