All Black star makes miracle recovery from broken leg thanks to witch doctor

THIS All Blacks star broke his leg and was given no chance of playing in the Rugby World Cup. His recovery is inexplicable.

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - SEPTEMBER 01: Waisake Naholo enjoys a laugh during a New Zealand All Blacks training session at Hutt Recreation Ground on September 1, 2015 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

ALL Blacks try-scoring machine Waisake Naholo’s year was over.

His Rugby World Cup dream was in tatters after breaking his leg — cracking his fibia — on his international debut against Argentina in Wellington on July 17.

It was diagnosed as a three-month injury. Less than seven weeks later he was picked in the All Blacks World Cup squad.

That’s where Naholo’s “witch doctor” uncle came in and changed everything.

Despite being ruled out of the tournament, Naholo refused to give up and flew to his native Fiji after contacting his uncle Isei Naiova about a natural healing process that could get him back on the pitch in time for rugby’s biggest tournament.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said his team’s medical staff had no problem with Naholo flying to Fiji for the alternative medical treatment.

“I know of the treatment because I was over there not so long ago, before Waisake got injured, and they were talking about it,” Hansen said.

“They swear by it. So who are we to boo-hoo alternative medicine?

“The Chinese have been doing it for years. If it works I’m a believer. I don’t care what he’s doing, if it’s making him think he’ll get better and he does get better then we’ve got one more person we can select.”

So what was it exactly that produced Naholo’s “gift from God”.

Waisake Naholo is known as the All Blacks’ X-factor.

Naiova says a common leaf and prayer was all he needed to get Naholo back on track.

The 24-year-old Highlanders star, who was the top try-scorer in Super Rugby this year with 13, was treated in his uncle’s village Nadroumai by having kawakawarau leaves wrapped around his legs on and off for four days.

It worked.

“A lot of people don’t know about this healing process and to them it is a miracle cure,” Naiova said.

“To me and my family it’s simply making use of the gift from God and the traditional leaf.

“The kawakawarau leaf grows here in the village, but only some people like myself and my family members can heal injured people by this leaf because we have the gift from God.

“I have healed many Fijian rugby players and I have seen players recover well and play rugby like nothing happened to them.

“From the time Naholo came here, I had no doubt he would play at the World Cup, I have seen this healing power work ... and I thank New Zealand Rugby for allowing him to come to me and be healed.”

Naholo was said to be cured within a week, but former All Blacks doctor John Mayhew is a little more sceptical over the plant-based treatment.

Mayhew told The Telegraph Naholo’s greenstick injury would not normally require a three-month recovery process and reckons he is simply on track to recover in a regular timeframe for that sort of injury.

“He (Naholo) is just coming back at the appropriate time for the injury he has had,” Mayhew said.

“It appears he has made a dramatic recovery, but to me it just fits in with normal medical timeframes.

“Often some of these Polynesian players have belief in traditional remedies, which is fine, but certainly I hope we don’t see an influx of broken legs flying to Fiji.”

The Wallabies could face off with Naholo in the knockout stages of the Rugby World Cup, which begins next Saturday morning AEST when England take on Fiji.

Originally published as All Black star makes miracle recovery from broken leg thanks to witch doctor