Footy fan is hailed as a hero after helping save the life of player who dodged death by MILLIMETRES in horror on-field incident
Matthew Broomham escaped death by a 'matter of millimetres' according to one neurosurgeon, after being tackled just moments into the second half of a reserve grade match between Wallaby Rugby League Football Club and Norths at Rockhampton's Gymmy Grounds last week.
The fullback was left lying motionless on his back but thanks to the quick thinking of first aid officer Gary Churchward, he may have been saved from suffering a more serious injury.
The medic quickly rushed onto the field despite not having seen the incident take place. He took immediate action realising the seriousness of the situation after Broomham had told him he had some pain in his neck and had heard a crack during the tackle.
Churchward, who had gained his Level One first aid certification just six months ago, quickly immobilised Broomham's neck and head as they waited for paramedics to arrive.
The first aid officer remained by the 25-year-old's side for over 30 minutes, and was later praised by Matthew's dad, Jason, for his quick thinking that 'saved him from being paralysed'.
'Thankfully, Gary being so vigilant in keeping Matthew on the ground and not letting his head move, even a millimetre, has saved him from being paralysed… or worse,' Jason Broomham told The Daily Telegraph.
Gary recounted what happened, revealing that Matthew was 'calm and chatty' despite the horror incident.
'I ran out to Matt and he told me briefly what happened. He said he had a sore neck and he'd heard a crack,' Churchward told the outlet.
'As soon as you hear that, you don't take any risks, and I immediately immobilised his neck.
'You lie down head to head, put your arms up beside his head and across his ears and you almost grip his shoulders and squeeze your arms together very gently on the side of his head to keep it still.'
Fortunately, Matthew said to Gary he had no numbness and was able to move his toes and fingers.
While they waited for the paramedics, Gary spoke to the 25-year-old about his work, his family and even his tattoos.
Upon arriving at the footy pitch, paramedics fitted Matthew with a neck brace before taking him to the Rockhampton Hospital.
An MRI revealed that Matthew had broken his C2 vertebrae, with doctors telling his dad Jason and wife Jodie that their son had suffered what's known as a 'hangman's fracture'.
'The neurosurgeons that we spoke to, in Rockhampton and here (in Brisbane), said he was lucky to be alive,' Jason said.
'If he had any more artery damage, he would have died on the field.
'The way that he was hit in the tackle resembled a car crash injury. He was hit down, as well as across. We're very, very lucky to have him here.
'Every time we speak to a neurosurgeon, they say it was a matter of millimetres.'
Matthew was later flown to the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital, where he underwent further examinations.
Jason told the outlet that because of Matthew's age, doctors opted against surgery, instead fitting the 25-year-old with a halo vest.
'Hello everyone. Matthew has been placed into a halo vest. He will be in this for at least three months while his neck heals,' Jason, who was at the match, wrote on Instagram.
'This is great news as he didn't have to have surgery.
'Thank you to everyone who has helped Matt, this is the first step in a long recovery process, but we will do it together.'
A halo vest is a device that attaches itself around a person's chest and shoulders. Several supports rise up from the vest and are attached to a halo ring, which positions itself around a person's skull using several metal pins.
The device is designed to immobilise the spine by preventing any damaging movement of the head and neck, allowing the spinal bones to heal.
Jason revealed that while Matthew has a 'long road ahead', he added he was 'grateful that Matthew should be able to make a full recovery' following treatment.
In an inspiring turn of events, Matthew was discharged five days after being admitted to hospital and has been walking with assistance.
Meanwhile, the Wallaby Rugby League Football Club have started a GoFundMe page to support Matthew and his family while he recovers from the injury.
Brendon Hunt, the president of the club, began the appeal online, which has, at the time of writing, raised $10,790, to help cover the burden of the footy player's rehabilitation expenses, inability to work and his travel and accommodation for treatment.
'Matt has sustained a fractured neck and now faces a long and challenging road to recovery, including extensive rehabilitation and ongoing medical appointments,' Hunt wrote.
His dad, Jason, delivered an update that Matthew would not be needing surgery on the injury
'Sadly, this also means he will be unable to work for the coming months, placing a significant financial burden on him and his family.'
He added: 'Matt is a tough competitor, a loyal teammate, and a valued member of our club and community. Now it's our turn to rally around him.
'Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a meaningful difference in helping Matt focus on his recovery without the added stress of financial hardship.'
Gary, meanwhile, did not want to take credit for his heroics, instead urging other people to become medical officers.
He had retired from playing rugby league last year but wanted to stay around the club by becoming a first aid officer.
'I definitely can't take credit for it, I just happened to be the first one there,' he said.
He also praised the club's Level Two first aid officer Amanda Twigge, who had initially raised his attention to the injury.
'I was just doing what I signed up to do and what I was trained to do.
'If I wasn't there, Amanda would have done exactly the same thing.'
Paramedics subsequently fitted Matthew with a neck brace and took him to
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Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Joe Schmidt hits back at Carlo Tizzano ‘dive' critics: ‘He suffered a high-magnitude impact'
Joe Schmidt has hit back at critics of Carlo Tizzano by claiming the Australia flanker suffered a 'high-magnitude impact' as a result of Jac Morgan's controversial clear-out in the second Test. The Australia head coach was speaking just hours after he was admonished by World Rugby for his initial comments about the incident. Australia were incensed that Morgan was not penalised for his clear-out on Tizzano, the replacement Wallabies flanker, in the ruck preceding Hugo Keenan's winning try in the second Test. HUGO KEENAN WINS IT FOR THE LIONS! 🦁 — Sky Sports (@SkySports) July 26, 2025 Referee Andrea Piardi reviewed the clear-out but deemed it was a 'rugby' incident, which effectively clinched a series victory for the Lions. That prompted Schmidt to not only criticise Piardi's decision but to allege that it undermined World Rugby's messaging on player welfare. While Schmidt will escape any formal sanction, his comments drew short shrift from Alan Gilpin, World Rugby's chief executive, who called on coaches to remember the impact their actions have on officials. 'While, from a World Rugby perspective, we always say we do not publicly comment on match officials' decisions, given the nature of the commentary surrounding last weekend, we just want to express our support for the match officials involved,' Gilpin said at an event for the 2027 Rugby World Cup ticketing launch. 'There is no other position on the field that is under the scrutiny our match officials are under, and yet they do an incredible job under that pressure in a live environment. I think it is fair to say that when the refereeing groups review decisions, they review them with the coaches and across the game. We are always proud to support our officials in that review process and that is what we are doing now and in the coming days with our colleagues from Australia and the Lions.' The Lions always felt confident in the legality of Morgan's clear-out and many felt Tizzano exaggerated the impact of the collision by dramatically collapsing to the floor holding his head. However, Schmidt hit back at accusations that Tizzano dived by revealing that his instrumented mouthguard registered a significant force from Morgan's clear-out. 'Talking about the instrumental mouthguards, with Carlo when he was hit, I feel sorry for him because I think he's copping a lot of flak, but that impact was almost double what they determine as a high-magnitude impact,' Schmidt told Stan Sports. 'So that's the degree of force that he had to wear, and that in itself is enough to force someone to recoil as he did. He's had a pretty sore neck for the last 24-48 hours, but he's back, he's resilient, and he's looking forward to the weekend.' Despite Schmidt's complaints – which were endorsed by Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh – World Rugby are understood to be confident that Piardi made the right decision. The wider issue, in their view, is the heightened scrutiny officials are placed under for making marginal decisions. In the last Lions series, referee Nic Berry received death threats as a result of South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus's extraordinary deconstruction of his decisions in the Springboks' first Test defeat. Wayne Barnes also received death threats following the 2023 World Cup final. 'You'll all recall four years ago in the last Lions series in South Africa, when the match official in the first Test was very heavily criticised, which brought mental health challenges,' Gilpin said. 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However, Goodman says that Ringrose has remained a positive influence within the camp. 'He's disappointed as you can imagine,' Goodman said. 'Garry was playing some amazing rugby through this tour and someone you know who it's been a dream of his for so long to represent the Lions and he's managed to do that. But he wanted to be a Test-match Lion, so it's been devastating for him. 'To his credit he's been good around the group. As you can imagine, anyone that knows Garry, he's a great lad and a team man so the boys have all been disappointed for him. Obviously he's disappointed for himself but he's getting around everyone and making sure he helps prepare everyone as much as he can. 'He's a real leader for us in terms our back line in particular, so he's been great.' Squid Game challenge for Lions Lions players were welcomed back from two days of partying to training in Sydney with a special version of Squid Game arranged by head coach Andy Farrell. 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'The staff were dressed up in all that kit, the speakers were all set up, a bit of fun, stuff like that to get a bit of energy back in the group. It was green light, red light, the whole field was covered in different things they could hide behind, and they had people in the top tier keeping an eye on people. It was a good craic.' According to Goodman, Thomas Clarkson, the Leinster prop, was the first player eliminated in the game but the fun element of the game underlines Farrell's ability to mix business with pleasure. 'Every week we've done things like that,' Goodman said. 'All part of touring, isn't it? Even with Ireland it's a part of his week to make sure there's fun involved. The mini-team stuff, the little challenges he'll have at the start of meetings, there's always a bit of craic, a bit of a laugh involved. It keeps the boys engaged and fresh and it's not just going into a meeting where it's rugby all the time. 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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
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James Haskell hits back at Wallabies coach's reaction to controversial flashpoint that secured the Lions a series victory against Australia: 'That is utter c**p'
James Haskell and Mike Tindall believe Joe Schmidt has no reason to feel aggrieved by the contentious last-gasp decision that has overshadowed the British and Irish Lions ' 29-26 victory against Australia on Saturday afternoon. The Australia coach lashed out at officials and World Rugby over why the Lions match-winning try from Hugo Keenan was allowed to stand after Jac Morgan appeared to clear out Carlo Tizzano, while making contact with the Australian's neck. 'In a world of player welfare… It's what they are there to enforce. A player who dives off his feet and is clearly beaten to the position over the ball, makes neck contact,' Schmidt fumed after the match. Schmidt used World Rugby's Law 9.20 to justify his point, which states that players cannot enter a ruck and make contact with a player above the shoulder line. 'You just have to read Law 9.20, then listen to the referee's description and watch the vision. A player who dives off his feet, is clearly beaten to the position over the ball, makes neck contact - it's a tough one to take,' the coach, who has previously worked as a technical advisor for World Rugby, fumed. The incident has divided the rugby community, with Tindall and Haskell both arguing on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby Podcast, that Schmidt wouldn't be making the same claim had the coin flipped in the other direction. When asked by Alex Payne if Schmidt was right to feel aggrieved, Tindall replied, 'No. The pair then jointly said: 'Absolutely not.' Haskell then proceeded to deliver an impassioned rant about the comments, with the former Wasps and England star, claiming that the real foul was Tizzano's alleged 'dive' and that if they had penalised Morgan for the clear out, they 'may as well have just disbanded the whole game'. After Morgan made contact with Tizzano, the flanker appeared to fall backwards and has been blasted for an apperent 'dive' by some members of the English media. 'The only bit of foul play nonsense in that incident was that Australian player [Carlo Tizzano] diving,' Haskell said on the podcast. 'That should have been red carded, because that is utter c**p.' He then went on to delve into the technicalities of the incident, claiming World Rugby's current laws don't allow players to remove a jackler in any other manner than how Morgan pushed Tizzano away. 'I'm telling you now, there is no physical way to clear out a player who is that low over the ball, without... the only other way that you used to be able to do it is if you put your head underneath him and go head-on-head, because when you're that low over the ball you've got a small window... You've got to get your head underneath him. 'But if you can't get any space to do that, and it would be head-on-head because you just lead with your head, you have to hit where he hit. That was a clear out I did every game, every week for 20 years...' Summarising his point, Haskell, who toured with the Lions in 2017, said the game would have serious questions to answer had Morgan been penalised over the clear out. Haskell added: 'That is the only way to do it. Because if you come in at the side at an angle, you'd end up doing a croc roll. It is utter, utter b*******. It is people clutching at straws. When a player is over the ball so low, what we used to be taught to do is I come in and I put my hand on the ground underneath him and lead up with my hands and hit him. 'All of that was just a rugby thing and the only foul was the Australian diving.' While Haskell praised the Australia coach Joe Schmidt as a 'great bloke' he fumed at how Schmidt had 'the audacity' to question the decision. Tindall replied: 'Again, if he's on the other side of the coin, it's not even a debate. He's going: 'That's what the game is'.' Haskell isn't the only person to have slammed Tizzano following the incident. Writing in his column in The Telegraph, Oliver Brown, 'Stop moaning, Australia, your player dived.' 'Tizzano clearly milked the incident, collapsing with a melodrama that could easily have persuaded some officials to chalk off Keenan's try,' he added. Andy Farrell, meanwhile, praised Morgan for securing the ball so well. 'I thought it was a brilliant clear-out, didn't you?' the Lions coach said, before admitting: 'It depends on what side of the fence you come from.' However, the refereeing decision has left one ex-Wallabies star livid. Morgan Turinui, who won 20 caps for Australia, hit out at the officials over the contentious call. 'That decision is 100 per cent completely wrong,' he said. 'The referee got it wrong,' Turinui said after the game. 'His two assistant referees got it wrong.' He then explained that the referee needed to be brought before World Rugby's Match Official Manager, Joel Jutge. 'Joel Jutge, the head of the referees, is out here on a junket. He needs to haul those referees in and ask for a please explain. But World Rugby cheif executive Alan Gilpin has claimed that they were standing by Piardi (left) and his team following the incident 'Dan Herbert, the chair of Australian rugby and if I'm Phil Waugh, the CEO, I'm sorry I'm asking for a please explain. 'He did have a good game, but the refereeing group, when it counted, got the match-defining decision completely wrong. 'It's a point of law. It's in black and white. It's not about bias. It's not about colouring. 'There's nothing there. Get away from the fact that it's a wrong call. It's a penalty sanction. It's not a yellow card. It happens. 'The try must be disallowed and we should be going one-all to Sydney.' But in a fresh turn of events, World Rugby has since made clear their stance on the matter, refuting Schmidt's claims before stating that they were throwing their support behind Piardi and his team of officials. World Rugby boss Alan Gilpin said: 'It is disappointing when the reaction is, 'this means player welfare isn't taken seriously', because everyone knows we are putting player welfare, in its broadest sense, at the top of the agenda. So, that part is challenging, in terms of the player welfare statements (by Schmidt).'
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Telegraph
Why Lions' top try-scorer Duhan van der Merwe is not getting a look-in under Andy Farrell
With just a Sydney dead-rubber left for the British and Irish Lions, those who simply study the data would be forgiven for thinking that Duhan van der Merwe has been among the stars of 2025. The 30-year-old has plundered five tries, bringing his tally to 10 across two tours. That puts him top of the tree among his squad mates. According to Stats Perform, he has amassed 336 metres with ball in hand. Huw Jones is next, with 287 metres despite seeing 46 minutes more game-time. Only Tommy Freeman and Sione Tuipulotu, with 17, have beaten more than the 16 defenders that Van der Merwe has brushed aside and the latter is also second for line-breaks (one behind Mack Hansen) with six. And yet, his prospects of repeating the three Test starts granted to him by Warren Gatland in South Africa four years ago have seemed remote since the outset. Ahead of a final meeting with Australia on Saturday, it would appear more likely for Blair Kinghorn to replace James Lowe on the left wing than it would to see Van der Merwe in action. Hansen is also back in contention after injury and likely above him in the pecking order. As a player leading Scotland's all-time scoring list with 32 tries in 49 Tests, he will be remembered with great fondness whatever else happens in his career. But the past few weeks will have been difficult. Unforgiving context Van der Merwe's chances of a fast start were compromised by ankle ligament damage that required surgery in April and meant that the Lions' opener against Argentina was his first outing in almost three months. He looked understandably rusty because of that lay-off. His next game against the Reds at Suncorp Stadium represented a blend of dangerous running and positional uncertainty. Then, four days later, Van der Merwe was drafted onto the bench for a disjointed win over the Waratahs. Henry Pollock's tight calf saw Scott Cummings come into the starting side as Tadhg Beirne shifted to blindside flanker. Van der Merwe joined the replacements and wore the No 20, a sure-fire sign of how late the decision was made and an indication that numbers 22 and 23 had been sized up for Marcus Smith and Ben White. After coming on for Hugo Keenan for the final half-hour, Van der Merwe could not impress himself on the match. On the last play, he took a looping pass from Kinghorn and was shepherded towards the touchline by several defenders before the ball squirted out of a messy ruck. The moment encapsulated both an unconvincing display from the Lions and how Van der Merwe's Test hopes were dwindling: Some have suggested that Van der Merwe was lucky to be selected for the initial squad on May 8 but his pedigree and Lions experience will have been hard to ignore. Andy Farrell evidently wanted size in the back three and Van der Merwe was particularly impressive in Scotland's 27-13 victory over the Wallabies last November. He scored a trademark try out wide… …and burst through Australia from a hidden inside pass move: This was something the Lions attempted themselves from a goal-line drop-out in the first Test, with the Wallabies snuffing it out: Good work from Nick Champion de Crespigny to get across to Hugo Keenan: — Charlie Morgan (@CharlieFelix) July 19, 2025 Indeed, with Finn Russell and Sione Tuipulotu certainties to tour, Farrell had scope to lean on the familiarity of a potent Scotland back line. Although modern wings men roam around the field, they tend to have a preferred side of the pitch that is dependent on factors such as their favoured foot to step off. Van der Merwe is a specialist left wing. Remarkably, according to All Rugby, he has only once worn a No 14 shirt in his professional career; in a Top 14 match for Montpellier against Racing 92 in 2017. In that respect, Van der Merwe was probably not competing against the unfortunate Darcy Graham for a place in the initial Lions squad. Graham, normally a right wing, could have been edged out by Hansen. Once the group assembled, Van der Merwe was up against James Lowe, a favourite of Farrell's from their time together with Ireland. Having started the past two Top 14 finals on the left wing for Toulouse, Kinghorn became another potential candidate for the 11 shirt. Van der Merwe needed to be at his most devastating. Pros and cons As early as the sixth minute against Argentina, there was a reminder of Van der Merwe's athleticism as he stepped off his left foot and carved through the Pumas: He flipped an overhead offload to Tommy Freeman a little later and slipped off a tackle early in the second half before linking with Bundee Aki: It is interesting to note that Van der Merwe has registered all five of his tries in Australia on the Lions left. Here against the Australia and New Zealand (AUNZ) invitational outfit, for instance, he is on hand to capitalise on the attack sparked by Hugo Keenan's quick line-out: Later in the same game, Van der Merwe caps his hat-trick on the end of a slick first-phase move that outflanks the defence: This try, against the Reds, was probably the most difficult finish and requires him to dot down in a tight space amid the attention of opposing full-back Jock Campbell: While it might be tempting to downplay this propensity for apparently easy tries, it is worth remembering that Lowe missed a similar chance against the Brumbies. As an outlet capable of surging into space, few are better than Van der Merwe. Scotland feed width readily to tap into that asset. Recent weeks have also showcased less assured areas of Van der Merwe's game. The Reds clearly targeted his back-field positioning. This Hunter Paisami cross-kick caused problems before Van der Merwe rescued himself… …and Kalani Thomas set up a try for Josh Flook with a grubber towards the same wing: Les Kiss, the Reds boss, also coached AUNZ in Adelaide. Forcing Van der Merwe to turn was a pillar of his strategy again, as suggested by Tane Edmed probing in behind from this early line-out: Van der Merwe loses his composure here and was fortunate that the ball bobbles into touch to give the Lions a line-out – the kick did not qualify for a 50:22 – because his actions would otherwise have conceded a five-metre scrum. As for kicking itself, a necessary skill for back three players, Van der Merwe is not a natural. Whereas Lowe's left boot has been predictably prominent, accounting for 416 metres from 11 kicks, Van der Merwe has hit a solitary strike all tour – after AUNZ had again found space in behind him: This tour, during which Andy Farrell has implemented systems reminiscent of those that characterise his Ireland team, has reinforced how coaches will back trusted individuals – and those who suit their methods – to deliver. Van der Merwe always faced a tricky task. Farrell's preferences Wings under Andy Farrell are granted licence to fizz around the field. While this table using data from Stats Perform is not bulletproof, because it is taken from multiple games and possession shares will have varied, it can broadly show us how much four Lions wings – Hansen, Tommy Freeman, James Lowe and Van der Merwe – have been around the ball. Hansen has been around the ball most, either carrying or hitting a ruck once every 2.8 minutes he has been on the field. Van der Merwe is fourth of the four: Freeman (15 defensive rucks across 390 minutes) and Hansen (13 defensive rucks in 270 minutes) have also grafted at the breakdown on the other side of the ball. This is not to say Van der Merwe has not come off his wing. The Lions have asked him to swing around from strike plays such as this one against the First Nations and Pasifika XV: However, with the best will in the world, it would be a surprise to see Van der Merwe set up a try like Beirne's in the second Test from first-receiver as Lowe did. The fact that Jamison Gibson-Park feeds Lowe rather than Keenan in the first place underscores their relationship: Kinghorn was off his wing and into the opposite 15-metre channel as soon as he had replaced Lowe. This cut-out pass to Keenan punctuated the first phase of the winning attack: Freeman, like Lowe adept at contesting high-balls, has continuously roamed. As pointed out by Kevin Millar, he burrowed into rucks on opposite touchlines in the build-up to Keenan's last-gasp try. It is not that Van der Merwe is incapable of this, just that others seem to do so more impulsively. Much earlier in the second Test, just beyond the half-hour mark with the Lions trailing 23-5, Lowe and Freeman contributed to a key moment. From a left-hand scrum, Bundee Aki attempts to launch Huw Jones but a flat tip-pass ricochets off Len Ikitau. Lowe reacts brilliantly and keeps the attack moving with a pass to Keenan, who sends Freeman charging into contact: A strong carry, with the help of Keenan's latch, ends up metres from the try-line and foreshadows Tom Curry's crucial finish. No doubt Lowe's awareness will have been heralded by the Lions coaches this week. What next? Van der Merwe's response to this tour will be intriguing. Graham and Kinghorn, one suspects, would be shoo-ins for any Scotland side. There is fierce competition developing for back-three spots, though. Kyle Steyn, exceptional in the air, is a reliable operator. Kyle Rowe, Harry Paterson and Arron Reed all had bright moments on the summer tour. Besides Rowe and Ollie Smith, Tom Jordan and Fergus Burke could be considered as potential full-backs that shift Kinghorn to the wing. Van der Merwe will be eager to begin the 2025-26 campaign strongly for Edinburgh to assure himself of action over autumn fixtures against USA, New Zealand, Argentina and Tonga. As with other Lions colleagues, how he moves on from the tour may be more significant than what has happened in Australia.
