“I faced death… But I’m lucky”

Former Wasps and Dragons forward Ed Jackson, who broke his neck in April, has set his sights on competing at Stoke Mandeville next year in front of Paralympic scouts.

Jackson was told he could have died after fracturing and dislocating vertebrae by diving into a swimming pool. At first Jackson had no movement from the neck down, but has battled back miraculously over the summer.

The number eight can now walk with the aid of a crutch, for up to 10 minutes at a time, having been previously told that it would be next to impossible.

“I was told I’d only ever make a 30 per cent recovery but my aim is to be able to walk into a room in a year or two and no one will be able to tell that I’ve had a spinal cord injury,” Jackson told The Daily Mail

“I don’t just want to be able to get from A to B, I want to be fit and climbing.”

‘There are times when you have doubts. My hand rehab will involve just trying to pick a cup up for an hour but when there’s so much riding on it, it’s easy to get your head around.”