Huxley not done yet

Australian utility back Julian Huxley has not ruled out the possibility of a return to rugby after a successful operation to remove a brain tumour.

Australian utility back Julian Huxley has not ruled out the possibility of a return to rugby after a successful operation to remove a brain tumour.

The 28-year-old discovered he had a benign tumour while undergoing scans after he began convulsing on the field during a Super 14 match for the Brumbies in March.

He recently had surgery in Sydney to remove the tumour.

“A decision on whether I play rugby again is a long way off, but people like Lance Armstrong have shown what is possible if you believe,” Huxley told The Australian newspaper.

American cyclist Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France seven times in succession after overcoming testicular cancer.

“I'd love to play again the game I love but time will tell whether that's a stupid call,” Huxley said.

“It might be different coming back in a non-contact sport like cycling – although I guess any cyclist who goes nose-first into the bitumen might not think of it as a non-contact sport.

“The surgeons have told me it (a comeback) would be a bit risky but then surgeons always err on the side of caution.”

While the surgery went well and a biopsy showed most of the tumour was benign, some of the cells were dividing and he would need six weeks of radiotherapy to arrest the spread of cancer, the newspaper reported.

“It's not too bad a prognosis,” he said.

“Now I've got to do the radiation and see what comes of it.

“Being in the neuro ward (at Sydney's North Shore Private Hospital), you see a lot of people a lot worse off than me.

“Obviously I'd prefer not to have this but when you see some of the things others have to battle with, you quickly realise your problems aren't too bad.”

A full-back or fly-half, Huxley played nine tests for Australia since making his debut in 2007.