Nic White set for several surgeries after extending Wallabies career but has ‘no regrets’

Recently retired Wallabies scrum-half Nic White has opened up on the devastating impact his career as a professional rugby player has had on his body over the years.

The 35-year-old also revealed that by pushing his body to the limit over the years, he will no have to undergo several surgeries.

White initially called time on his Test career after the Wallabies’ series against the British & Irish Lions in Australia at the beginning of August.

However, after helping Australia to clinch a 22-12 win over the Lions in the final Test in Sydney, White recanted that decision as he agreed to be part of the Wallabies’ Rugby Championship campaign.

This, after the first choice scrum-half Jake Gordon was ruled out due to injury but he has been declared fit now for Australia’s upcoming Bledisloe Cup Tests with the All Blacks in Auckland and Perth and has been recalled to Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt’s squad.

After being in Australia’s run-on side against the famous touring team, White also wore the Wallabies’ number nine jersey in back-to-back Tests against South Africa in Johannesburg and Cape Town as well as against Argentina in Cordoba and Buenos Aires.

However, with Gordon fit again, White has no qualms about stepping down from international rugby despite the matches with trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand looming on the horizon.

“Very at peace with it,” he told Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven show. “It’s just been an absolute bonus… It’s been surreal. I’ve been very happy.

“Like anyone who’s worn a Wallabies jersey, I would absolutely love the chance to have a crack at the Kiwis and the Bledisloe again.

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“But my body’s been pretty busted for a while now.”

Like most rugby players, White has played through the pain barrier for large parts of his career, but the full extent of his injuries have now caught up with him, and he is now preparing himself for a few operations in retirement.

“I’ve been pushing through a fair bit to get through the last four weeks and I’ve emptied the tank,” he said.

“I’ve got two knee surgeries I need to get done next month and, it’s quite ironic, I’ve got to get my legs straightened!

“My knees have been giving me a fair bit of grief for a fair while now, and it’s been a worry, I must admit.

“We’re in great hands with the doctors we have. Chris Barr and Gary Mitchell at the Wallabies have told me for a while now that I’m on a slippery slope with that, and I need to get it done and get that fixed.

“But I’ve also got a shoulder that I’ve got to get totally replaced in the next 6-12 months. So I’ve been pushing a fair bit, and I was happy to do it but now’s the time.

“I’ve certainly got no regrets. I said I’d play till the wheels fell off and three of the four wheels have nearly fallen.”

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