We were very fortunate to share this fascinating story of professional rugby player Mitch Short, and the ACL rupture he suffered on debut. Mitch is joined by long-time NSW Waratahs and current Australian Wallabies team doctor Sharon Flahive, who was the treating physician at the time. 

In 2018,  Mitch Short was the third-choice scrum-half for the NSW Waratahs rugby team. Prior to a tour to South Africa to play the Bulls in Durban, first-choice half Nick Phipps was down with a calf strain, so Mitch was on the bench set to make his Super Rugby debut. With about 15 minutes remaining in the game, Mitch came on, and with one of his first touches of the ball, he twisted and felt his knee go numb. Mitch completed the game and even scored a try but the medical staff later confirmed that he had ruptured his ACL.

It became apparent very early on that Mitch was an 'elite coper' and continued to function at a very high level as the tour continued to Argentina. After the second-choice scrum-half Jake Gordon suffered a concussion, Mitch was next-in-line to make his run-on debut. But could he start a game of international standard rugby with a recently torn ACL? Listen in as we hear the full story from Mitch and Dr Flahive.