Julian Redelinghuys conquered scrums, now he tackles the future

“The uncertainty is probably the thing one fears the most.”

One sentence by Lions prop Julian Redelinghuys probably best sums up his state of mind  in the months since his serious neck injury towards the end of last season.

Redelinghuys hasn’t lost his sense of humour despite the ordeal he had to go through, starting with a big neck operation to the on-going rehabilitation process.

More prominently, the thought of ever playing again remains a mystery.

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“If you don’t know what is going to happen the uncertainty can eventually wear you down,” Redelinghuys said shortly after he received his Lions Player of the Year award at Carnival City in Brakpan this week.

“But I must say religion helps a lot, to know that there are good things on the way, that God plans stuff and I hold on to that,” he said.

The birth of Redelinghuys and his wife Sumari’s daughter, Chrismari, on Thursday is also a dream come true.

“It helps to have a new addition to the family, it’s a massive blessing and we couldn’t wait for the big day to arrive eventually, to meet her at long last,” he said.

“But it has been difficult, I’m not going to say it has been easy,” he said.

“But there are certain things in place, the structures, the people around one who help one through the entire process.

“Those things helps incredibly so I’m very blessed to have that, that support structure, so I honestly don’t know how guys survive without it.”

Redelinghuys might not be playing rugby at the moment but that hasn’t prevented him from being a “coach” of sort.

He’s at hand almost daily to help the rest of the squad preparing for the season.

“It’s very tough to sit on the sidelines, to see how the guys go through a pre-season.

“That said, it’s great not to do the fitness part,” he joked.

“But it’s tough to see the guys training so hard and you can’t join them. When the games start soon, it might just become unbearable,” he said.

That’s why a positive frame of mind is so vital.

“I’m excited for my teammates and I honestly believe we are going to have an awesome season.

“It’s my brothers and whether I play or not I still want to be part of it.”

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