Wallaby hooker Brendan Cannon said he was lucky not to have lost the sight in one eye after a nightclub incident at the weekend which left him needing facial surgery. Cannon said he was hopeful of playing for the NSW Waratahs in their make-or-break Super 12 rugby match against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Saturday despite the incident.
He was planning to wear headgear and "every protective bandage I can" to protect the three deep lacerations on his head from an alleged attack with a smashed glass on Saturday.
Cannon had layers of stitches inserted in the wounds which start two or three centimetres from his left eye and continue up to the top of his forehead. "I would not say I am angry, I think I am exceptionally fortunate," Cannon told reporters at Waratahs' training on Monday.
"Unfortunate that it happened, but fortunate in a way the injuries I sustained could have been a lot worse."
Cannon, 31, had been catching up with Highlanders and All Blacks hooker Anton Oliver at the nightclub following the Otago-based team's stunning 29-28 win over the Waratahs earlier that night.
It isn't the first time Cannon has a suffered serious facial injury with the forward nearly losing his life and needing 50 stitches in his head after a car accident in 1993.
He appeared unconcerned about opening up his new scars against the Reds in a match the Waratahs must win to have any chance of making the Super 12 finals. "The only risk I would take would be reopening the scars, and I have a number of scars already on my forehead," Cannon said.
"So that is the only risk that some of the scars were quite deep and some were near the bone or near my skull, so obviously there is a risk."
A 29-year-old man will be facing court later this month charged with malicious wounding and assault in connection with the incident.
Meanwhile, Wallaby fly half Stephen Larkham has signed a two-year extension of his contract with the Australian Rugby Union in a big boost for the national side.
Larkham, who turns 30 this month, rejected large offers from several overseas clubs to remain in Australia. "There is nothing better than pulling on a gold Wallaby jersey and playing for your country, so from that point of view it was an easy decision," said Larkham, the expansive playmaker for the Wallabies.
"It is a big year ahead for the Wallabies. The team will be keen to bounce back in a big way after the disappointment of the Rugby World Cup final, and that's something I really want to be a part of," he said, referring to the Wallabies agonising extra-time loss to England.
Larkham has played 66 Tests, including the 1999 World Cup triumph and last year's World Cup runner-up finish and has sparkled this Super 12 season with the ACT Brumbies.
Wallaby coach Eddie Jones welcomed Larkham's decision. "Stephen is a player with amazing talent and a wealth of experience and it's great that he's made the decision to stay in Australia," Jones said.
"To know that you have someone with his capabilities on your side is definitely a bonus, particularly as we are up against some impressive opponents in the coming tests."
Australia has a World Cup final rematch with England in Brisbane in June as well as two Tests against Scotland and the Tri-Nations series against New Zealand and South Africa scheduled for July and August.
AFP - 2004.