Malan reveals career-ending fear after 90-degree ankle dislocation at 2023 Rugby World Cup

Le Roux Malan thought his rugby career was over as he lay on the Toulouse turf staring at his leg bent at a grotesque right angle during Namibia’s Rugby World Cup group match against New Zealand in September 2023. The 27-year-old centre dislocated his ankle, fractured his fibula and tore his semitendinosus in what he describes as a “freaky” collision at Stadium de Toulouse — and he is only now fully appreciating how far he has come.

“It was quite a scary experience seeing my leg facing 90 degrees,” Malan recalled. “The first thing that came to my mind was that my career was over. The pain was unbearable.”

Malan underwent surgery on the day of the injury. While still in hospital, the New Zealand squad sent him a signed All Blacks jersey — a gesture he credits alongside the wider support of World Rugby and the medical staff as crucial to his recovery.

His rehabilitation took place largely in Boston with Major League Rugby side the New England Free Jacks, who took him directly into their care. “They took me straight into their care which shows how great a club it is,” he said. “The first two months were really slow — mobility, taking care of the scar tissue. Then we ramped it up in the new year.”

The painstaking process paid off in remarkable fashion. Just seven months after the injury, Malan returned to action and scored a try in the MLR Championship Final, helping the Free Jacks retain their title — repeating the feat he had achieved the year before.

“It had been a rollercoaster,” he said. “Honestly, it was very emotional. The highs were extremely high and the lows were extremely low. It was probably the most challenging time in my life.”

After stints with Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand and the Hollywoodbets Sharks in South Africa — where he had started his career — Malan signed for Cardiff Rugby ahead of the current URC season, driven by a desire to experience different rugby environments.

“I have always been someone who wanted to travel and rugby can take me all over,” he said.

The URC fixture list has now handed Malan a swift reunion with the Sharks, who visit Cardiff’s Arms Park on Friday. It will be a charged occasion for a player whose journey back to the top level of the game has been anything but straightforward.