On the road to recovery.
The rugby world was in shock on Friday when media outlets in France reported that Toulon’s James O’Connor had suffered a suspected heart attack on the team coach while travelling home from their Top 14 game last week.
The reports said that O’Connor was treated on the bus by Georgian team-mate Mamuka Gorgodze, before he was taken to hospital at Saint-Anne.
Messages of support for the 25-year-old Australian flooded in from players past and present.
Terrible this. Hope he gets better soon. Not for the rugby but for his health and and his family #JamesOConnor https://t.co/jOvnSag078
— Jacques Burger (@Nabasboer) February 26, 2016
But O’Connor has now surfaced to say that it was not a heart attack, but hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), due to fatigue caused by intensive training and playing regime in France.
O’Connor says he is fit enough to return to action but has been ordered to rest for two weeks by Toulon.
https://twitter.com/JamesOConnor832/status/703332902902370304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/JamesOConnor832/status/703333823434645505
Toulon coach Bernard Laporte went on French radio on Friday night to play down the heart-attack reports.
“James O’Connor felt unwell in the bus taking the team back from the Oyonnax game (last Sunday),” Laporte told RMC.
“The medical staff decided to take him to hospital and he underwent a considerable series of tests.”
“I can reassure everyone he’s fine. He will play rugby again but he will undergo further tests next week. James will miss three weeks, maybe four weeks of competition.”
