RUGBY NEWS - Patrick Lambie’s decision to sign a three year contract with French club Racing 92 was not made against the advice of medical specialists and continuing his rugby career does not mean he is taking a big risk.
In announcing the early release from Lambie’s joint contract with the Cell C Sharks and with the Springboks, Sharks doctor Alan Kourie quashed concerns that after the concussion that Lambie has suffered on two separate occasions in the past year it was inadvisable for the former Sharks captain to continue playing rugby.
“Patrick is fully recovered from his concussion sustained in May this year and has been for some time now,” said Kourie.
“He has been training symptom free for the last two months while also enjoying activities he loves outside of the rugby setting like golf and surfing.”
The latest Lambie concussion was sustained when he clashed with a teammate while captaining the Sharks against the Southern Kings at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium during Super Rugby in May.
As Lambie was out for a considerable period last year after being concussed in a collision with Ireland forward CJ Stander in a test match at Newlands last June, when Lambie was helped from the field in Port Elizabeth there were immediate concerns about his future in the game.
However, Kourie has denied that Lambie’s career was in the balance and says that a period of rest was recommended.
“Our suggested time off for him to recover was between three to six months and he currently sits nicely in the middle of that period,” said the Sharks team doctor.
“Most importantly he is in a great mental space and he looks forward to playing rugby again, at the highest level.”
