Concussion ends Matt Toomua’s Wallaby career but he is looking forward to new rugby chapter in England

MATT Toomua’s last act as a Wallaby may be walking groggily from the field with a head knock and though disappointed, he’s comfortable with that.

A heavy concussion has ended Matt Toomua’s Wallaby career.

MATT Toomua’s last act as a Wallaby may be walking groggily from the field with a head knock and though disappointed, he’s comfortable with that.

Toomua flew to England last week after being released early by the Australian Rugby Union to join up with his new club Leicester.

The 26-year-old readily admits he’d have loved to be flying into London with the Wallabies tomorrow, as they prepare to take on Argentina in a special clash at Twickenham, but the head knock against the All Blacks in Sydney in August derailed those plans.

Due to it being the third concussion suffered this year, and after a number in previous years, Toomua was advised by a specialist to sit out three months.

That meant a last Rugby Championship campaign with Australia before beginning a three-season deal with the Tigers was scrubbed out, and the stand-down period quietly brought down the curtain on Toomua’s nine-year Australian career.

A heavy concussion has ended Matt Toomua’s Wallaby career.

It was a disappointing farewell but given the seriousness of concussion and his ongoing welfare, Toomua said was he content with the call to sit out for three months.

“I had had two hits in a shorter amount of time, this year, and the last one wasn’t a big hit or anything but I was concussed so it was an indication that my threshold was pretty low,” Toomua told the Sunday Telegraph from England.

“That last one wasn’t too bad but any time you get a brain injury I guess it has to be decent, and you have to treat it accordingly.

“It is obviously very disappointing it all ended like that but I have to take care of it. I had to get away from it and get healthy.”

Toomua now feels fine and is set to resume contract training this week, but he stopped short of endorsing a mandatory stand-down period for concussed footballers.

With still a lot unknown about the causes - and effects of concussion, Toomua believes each case should continued to judged individually.

Matt Toomua after being knocked out in the first Bledisloe Cup Test against the All Blacks in Sydney.

“It’s very easy to slap a blanket rule and say anyone who gets knocked out sits down for six weeks. But I don’t think that’s the answer,” he said.

“You have to treat it symptomatically. Mine was more the fact that I’d had a couple and this one wasn’t a big hit, so the caution was applied. And rightly so.”

Toomua’s initial plan was to play for the Wallabies until November before flying out to join Leicester, but the head knock and his layoff saw the plans accelerated.

Content with his depth in the no.10/no.12 ranks, and as a sign of respect for his 33-Test service in gold, Wallabies coach Michael Cheika gave Toomua the all-clear to fly out early last week.

Toomua’s three seasons at Welford Road will only finish in mid-2019, and while a return to Australia is a possibility, he is ready to immerse himself in the club and a new chapter of his career.

“There is no regret in the decision,” Toomua said.

“It starts to hit home a little bit, I might not ever play for the Wallabies again and I’ll only just watch on telly.

“That’s not easy but I am comfortable with the decision I have made to come over here. It becomes a little bit more real when you see the guys running out and you know you could be there.

“I am super excited about it. I have loved my time at home but after nine years at the Brums, this might just be the little kick that I need.”

Toomua will join fellow Australians Peter Betham and Locky McAffrey at Leicester, who are one of the perennial powerhouses of the English premiership.

He expects to play no.12 when he plays his first game, which is likely to be in a few weeks.

“You know about the competition here but until recently we didn’t get much in Australia as far as games on TV,” Toomua said.

“So I am keen to get out there, experience the crowds and how noisy they are, things like that. It’s a very club feel. Leicester has been around for over 100 years, I interested to immerse myself in that culture a bit.

“Also the European competition element is very exciting. I am really looking forward to what lays ahead.”

Originally published as Concussion ends Matt Toomua’s Wallaby career but he is looking forward to new rugby chapter in England