Being victim of coward’s punch triggered positive changes for Wallaby Nic White

WALLABY halfback Nic White credits being the victim of a coward punch with giving him the impetus to shoot for the top.

A VICIOUS coward punch two years ago could have ended Nic White’s career — or worse — but instead he credits the incident for launching his rise to the Wallabies’ No.9 jersey.

White still has a metal plate in his chin, and to this day has no feeling in his lower lip, after the sickening attack at a music festival in Canberra in January 2012 left him with a broken jaw.

He has since fought his way into the Wallabies squad, made his Test debut last year after leading the Brumbies to the Super Rugby grand final, and is now poised to start his first Bledisloe Cup Test against the All Blacks next Saturday, aiming to become the first Wallaby halfback since George Gregan to hoist the trophy.

For the first time, White, 24, has opened up on how that one punch changed everything.

“I was having a few drinks, got a tap on the shoulder, and a hit from behind,” White said.

“I didn’t exactly know what had happened at the time in terms of the damage and severity of it, if I had I probably would have pursued it. I shrugged it off, the boys helped me up and said it was okay, ‘the security guard will take him away’.

“It wasn’t until the next day that I understood the damage that had been done.”

What has been most difficult for White has been the lingering notion that because he is a known niggler on the field, he must have provoked his attacker, who has never been caught.

“I know 100 per cent, because everyone thinks that I am that annoying little guy, that I lipped up and started something,” he said.

“But I’ve never been in a fight outside of rugby, and I’ve rarely been in one in rugby.

“Many people still don’t believe it, but that’s what happened. People only see the Nic on the field, the annoying guy who is always pestering the opposition and yapping, that’s just part of my position. But the guys in the Brumbies and Wallabies know that I’m quite different off the field, I switch on, switch off.

“I was embarrassed and knew it would be tough to convince people that it wasn’t my fault.

“I’m not that guy on the field, off the field. I’m a prankster, I like to have fun.”

It has dawned on White in the last two years, with the spate of coward-punch attacks in Australia, just how serious it could have been for him.

“When you’ve had a few drinks you just relax, I was completely relaxed, and one hit from behind can do so much damage,” he said.

“It’s pretty upsetting to know that there’s that many cases of it. And ever since I’ve been young I have been nervous of alcohol around fights because I don’t think people realise how much damage they can do.

“One punch can do so much damage, and there’s just too many stories of it.

Nic White trains with the Wallabies in Orange.

“Those stories of guys in Kings Cross walking around looking for someone to hit, bare knuckles, the other person doesn’t know it’s coming, I’m not sure they realise what kind of damage it can cause. I kept it under wraps down in Canberra for obvious reasons, I was quite embarrassed.”

White had plates and screws inserted the next day and could only eat soups for the first two weeks.

“I still feel it now, I got one plate taken out at the end of the spring tour last year because it was annoying me so much, but I’ve still got one here,” White says, pointing to his jaw. “That was probably my moment that needed to happen.

“In my position on the field, you’ve got to be understanding of the whole group because you’re the link between forwards and backs.

“From breaking my jaw and coming in, Jake (White) understood, but the whole squad was quite disappointed that it had happened.

“We have a family down there and I quickly realised blokes are looking out for your better well-being, they’re not just teammates.

“It frustrated me for many months, but now looking back to 2013, Ewen (McKenzie) picking me for my Test debut, going on the spring tour and then going back to the Brumbies, it hit me, the changes that had happened started from that incident.”

White has identified the incident with Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham as his “moment of maturity”.

“Before that I probably wasn’t taking things too seriously, just riding the rollercoaster,” White said.

“Ever since that moment, we’ve both put that moment down to it – it changed my outlook and where I was in my career.

“He says women mature with age and men mature with experiences in their life, and I agree with that.

“I think that was an experience of maturity for me. I certainly had a different outlook after that.

“A lot of the boys down in Canberra say I’m pretty different now, a little bit quieter than I was a few years ago.

“It probably needed to happen, unfortunately that’s the way it happened, but I’d certainly say over the last couple of years that is the moment from which it seems my career has changed for the better.”

“I see the whole picture a little differently now, before I was narrow-minded in what effects certain things have on you.

“Like my diet, which has changed a lot in the last couple of years. Things you do in your day-off that affect you four days later and in a game.

“For some reason I’m seeing those things a little clearer.

“And I’m seeing a squad perspective rather than a selfish, individual perspective on the game, the game-plan, training, and seeing the effect of what I say or do can have on other guys.

“I don’t really go out too much in Canberra anymore. If I do I will go out with all the boys and make sure we’re all together.”

Originally published as Being victim of coward’s punch triggered positive changes for Wallaby Nic White