Ben Carson glad to be back and chasing the Grand Slam

Sport occasionally offers a very pointed reminder of the importance of trying to enjoy every minute on the basis that the privilege can be removed in an instant.

Last September Ben Carson suffered a punctured spleen two minutes into an A interprovincial against Connacht. He should have been building towards a second year at Ireland Under-20 level but instead was left wondering, after being bedridden for a few weeks, if he would ever play rugby again.

On Sunday he should be part of the Ireland Under-20 team – it is announced today – chasing a Grand Slam against Scotland at what will be a sold-out Musgrave Park on Sunday (5.0). His rehabilitation included club matches for Banbridge before slotting into Richie Murphy’s team for the victory over England; he owed his place to a broken hand sustained by Ben Brownlee against Italy.

Everyone plays the game because they love it and to be told you might not be able to play the game you love again was pretty heart-wrenching for a while

He offered an insight into what were dark days last September. “It was a pretty rough injury, I was sort of bedridden for a couple of weeks. And it was a pretty tough time for me because I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play the game at a high standard ever again.

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“It took two or three months until I could properly run and lift weights and train properly again after that injury, so it’s been a long journey trying to get back into the Irish team, but obviously with perseverance, I didn’t give up and knew that I could hopefully get there.”

Seriousness

So what was his first reaction when apprised of the seriousness of the injury? “I was distraught, everyone plays the game because they love it and to be told you might not be able to play the game you love again was pretty heart-wrenching for a while. But I didn’t really think about it too much after that – I sort of had a mindset of coming back better than ever, hopefully.

He’s alongside a familiar face in the Irish midfield: Jude Postlethwaite, whom he first met in primary school. Although the two play for Banbridge, they have never done so together at senior level. Carson explained: “I think at the start of last year Jude was playing a little bit with Banbridge and I was sort of locked up in the [Ulster] academy. We weren’t allowed to play club for a while, which was annoying because we were all missing out on game time.

“But it’s just the way it goes. I’ve started playing for Banbridge now a few games while Jude has been playing for Ireland.”

They reunited for the first time since their age-grade days at Ulster in the victory over England and on Sunday get to write chapter two – hopefully one that finishes with a flourish.