A well-known rugby player has lost the sight in one eye as a result of a gouging incident in an AIL Division 2 game last month.
Eoin Collins from Boyne RFC sustained the injury after a clash with a player from Highfield RFC in Cork when the sides met on 12 December last.
Collins, 32, was brought to the Mater Hospital in Dublin to have surgery on a ruptured socket in his right eye, but cannot see out of the eye and does not expect to ever play rugby again.
“Apart from being able to see a small bit of shadow, I have no vision at all in my right eye, and I honestly do not know what the future holds for me now,” Collins told the Irish Examiner.
“It happened in a maul at the very end of the game. I knew it was bad because my vision went black, there was bleeding and the pain was horrific.”
A player from Highfield has been cited over the alleged eye-gouging and the incident will be investigated by an IRFU disciplinary panel later this month.
Secretary of Highfield RFC, Fergus O’Mahony, revealed that although nobody from the club was aware of what had happened on the day, they have been contacted about the incident since and will fully co-operate with the IRFU in the investigation.
“It seems like a horrible injury, and certainly we hope the chap makes a full recovery,” said O’Mahony.
“We haven’t endeavoured to contact either him or the club as of yet as we feel it would be inappropriate to do so until the investigation is concluded.
“I would stress though that at the moment it is only an allegation against our player, and like anybody else, he has to be presumed innocent until it can be proved otherwise.”
Collins, who captained the Leinster junior interprovincial side in the past, revealed that the injury may also cost him his job, as he is currently a sales rep in the textile industry and cannot drive as a result to the damage to his eye.
“My primary concern is to get sight back in the eye so I can have some quality of life, I will just have to wait and see what level of sight comes back in time, if any does,” he said.
“I doubt I will play rugby again, though.”
