Toomaga-Allen looking forward to Hurricanes season

Club Rugby | 14 January 2015 | Steven White

Jeff Toomaga-Allen is not one to stay down for long.

The Hurricanes and Marist St Pat’s tighthead prop, who injured his knee whilst chasing down a Wainuiomata winger during last July’s Wellington club rugby Jubilee Cup semi-final (pictured above playing in this game evading former Manu Samoa prop Justin Va’a), was originally hoping to be back playing by round three of the Super Rugby season against the Western Force in Perth.

But now, thanks to a huge dose of positivity, good rehabilitation and support, and his new best friend, the Wattbike that he’s been using a lot lately, he could be back in action as soon as 31 January when the Hurricanes play their first pre-season match against the Crusaders in Eketahuna.

“I’m coming along well. I’ve just recently got back into full contact but am managing it carefully, so if I get a bit sore I just pull out of it and if I can go harder I can,” said Toomaga-Allen.

“I was hoping to start playing again in the third round, then because the rehab was going well and the knee was feeling good it got pushed forward to the first round in South Africa. But because everything is ahead of schedule it’s been brought forward earlier so I am hoping to be back for the first pre-season game against the Crusaders.

“I’m just going to manage it and do a 20 minute build-up at Eketahuna and if I pull up alright do 40 minutes against the Blues [the second pre-season match at North Harbour early February] and then hopefully get on the plane to South Africa and be available for selection for the first round.”?

“On the bright side, I’m coming out of a good pre-season this year where the time away from the ITM Cup has also given me time to work on other aspects of my body in terms of rehabilitation.”

The Hurricanes have their first competitive outing of the year this coming Saturday morning with the annual in-house Surf to Peak event, a 1 km sprint; followed by a 21 km bike ride and then a 2 km hill run to the finishing tape at the summit of Mt Victoria.?

Two time defending champion Callum Gibbins is a late scratching and Toomaga-Allen is out to take his crown. “Yeah, I’m out to win that this year,” he joked, before adding more seriously “I’ll be in there but I don’t know if I’ll be running the hill though. Hopefully I’ll take out the bike section – I’ve been on that Wattbike for long enough!”

This is all good news for rugby fans. The All Blacks weren’t discussed in our conversation, but a fit, motivated Toomaga-Allen in the mix is a major positive with the small matter of the Rugby World Cup to defend later this year.

Ever since injuring his knee six days before the start of the Wellington Lions took the field for the first time in 2014 in a pre-season game against Manawatu, Toomaga-Allen has been fully focussed on making his return.?

“Soon after the injury, from the start I was doing a lot of stretching – a lot of stretching – and also doing some upper body work. But when I was able to walk around and do more I was on to the Wattbike – that was my best friend for about five months. Now we are the best of buddies.”?

The Wattbike is an advanced indoor training bike that records and monitors just about anything you want it to. Dan Carter has recently credited this piece of technology with getting him fit after recent injury setbacks.?

We asked Toomaga-Allen to take us back to that late July afternoon at William Jones Park, sunny and crisp and with a berth in the following Sunday’s Jubilee Cup final at stake.

“It was pretty much ankle deep mud and my wife was on my case beforehand about not playing. Being a bit of a fighter I played and in the last 10 minutes was chasing down the Wainuiomata winger. He cut back in, my foot got stuck in the mud, I went to push off, my body was over my knee and I buckled over it and I tore my meniscus, which is the cartilage behind my kneecap.”

This wasn’t the first time he’s been injured. “Before becoming professional I suffered a perforated disc in my back, then just as I was about to make my debut before the ITM Cup in 2011 I tore my hamstring off the bone. The next year I debuted in Super Rugby before having played in the ITM Cup.”?

Nevertheless, he found not being able to help the Wellington Lions last year difficult. “Knowing that you could make an impact with the young guys coming through and seeing the struggles that the Lions boys were going through was hard. Especially being alongside the other injured boys like John Schwalger and Ardie Savea, knowing that we could have made a difference.”?

He’s thus raring to go for 2015. “I’m definitely motivated to help the Hurricanes do well this year. We really want to put our best foot forward for making the Super Rugby championship round and winning the title.

“That’s the main drive behind me heading into this season.”

The new guys are all settling in well to the Hurricanes environment as well. “The new guys in the group such as Chris Eves, Geoff Cridge, Christian Lloyd, Leni Apisai and the Wider Training Squad members have settled in well bringing in good enthusiasm and energy. There’s some good young backs coming in, so it’s really good having some fresh faces around and hopefully we will go well this season."