Jarvis eager to return after freak injury

Matthew Jarvis signed for Pontypool RFC in August but on the opening day of the WRU Admiral National Championship, he spent the game in the dugout rather than on the field.

The three-time Premiership winner was absent due to injury after a freak accident during the pre-season friendly against Bristol Bears last month.

Jarvis lined up at ten when the squad travelled over the Prince of Wales Bridge for his first appearance in a Pooler jersey but ended the day with a fractured larynx.

The larynx, another name for the voice box, helps with breathing and producing sound and an injury can be serious if not treated quickly and correctly.

Thankfully Jarvis has been monitored closely and is already eyeing up a return to action, although it is not entirely in his hands.

“I had a freak injury to my throat. I think it was a one-in-thirty-thousand chance of it happening but I’m okay,” explained the 31-year-old.

“I am back running now and can do gym work but I haven’t done any rugby training due to safety precautions.

“I was given a timescale of six to eight weeks but I’ve got a meeting with a consultant at the end of this month and it will all depend on what he says.

“I’m hoping to be back for the Tata Steel RFC or Ystalyfera RFC game but it’s out of my hands.

“It’s not like any other injury where you can do rehab or work on the injury, it’s just letting it heal and see what happens.”

The game against Tata Steel would mark seven weeks since sustaining the injury and Jarvis is eager to get back on the field to make his debut after seeing how many supporters packed out the ground against Maesteg Harlequins RFC.

“It was great to be back in competitive rugby,” he added.

“For a lot of us it’s been frustrating not playing for so long but it was great to be there and the amount of fans that were there, I wish I could have played.

“We haven’t played for so long so we weren’t expecting it to be perfect but the last 20-30 minutes we showed what we could do.

“I didn’t really have a specific role I was just running on the messages for Tom [Hancock] and Leighton [Jones] and just trying to help out as much as I could and feel part of the team.

“It’s obviously frustrating coming to a new team and the first game you play for them you get injured but it was a freak injury.”

Everyone at Pontypool wishes Jarvis a speedy recovery and hopes to see him back on the pitch soon.