Freak eye injury left Cardiff's Will Boyde struggling to see new-born daughter

Will Boyde struggled to see his new-born daughter because of a "freak accident" that left him with sight loss for the best part of five months.

"I was able to see her, just about, up close with one eye," said the Cardiff Rugby back-rower after a head clash saw him restricted to just over 90 minutes of competitive rugby last season.

"If it hit my cheekbone nothing would have happened; if it hit my cranium it would have been fine; it's just that pressure of my eye going back into my socket blew everything out."

Boyde suffered the injury in November 2020, during a defeat in Edinburgh.

Such was the seriousness of the blow, the 26-year-old required surgery to implant two metal plates to protect his right eye socket.

"It was a very tough time for me and my family to be honest with you," Boyde said.

He describes a period of "very thick double vision" that required lengthy rehab and the almost inevitable fear over whether he would be passed fit to play again.

'It was a very difficult time at home'

Boyde admits it was sometimes hard to be fully confident in the good things he was hearing from medical experts.

"I was trying to [be confident], but I was a very rare case; something like a one in 10,000 case," he said.

"It was new to a lot of people... but we're very lucky at the Blues with very good doctors."

He was also grateful for the player-welfare support of the Welsh Rugby Players' Association.

"I had a young family throughout the injury as well - had a new-born - so it was a very difficult time at home as well and, yeah, it (the support offered) was brilliant."

'My outlook on rugby is a lot more serious now'

Boyde spent five years with Scarlets, where he became renowned for his abrasive approach, before joining Cardiff in 2019.

As for fears over continuing to "put his head where it hurts" in games and training, he has no qualms, even if his vision has not fully recovered.

"That wasn't the issue coming back contact-wise," he said, "it was just in terms of nausea post-running because of the double vision.

"We've got through that now so I'm delighted. I still have ongoing issues on my peripheral, but in terms of rugby we've done all the tests and firing all good there."

Reflecting on his injury he said: "I feel it's refreshed my mind.

"My outlook on rugby is a lot more serious now because of how much I could have lost from it.

"So I make sure now that I'm giving 100% towards my performances and my training as well, which is good and I hope is being seen by the new [Cardiff] coaches."

After beginning their build-up to the United Rugby Championship with a high-scoring defeat at Harlequins, Cardiff host Bath on Friday with Boyde hoping to "kick on a bit more" after a summer in which improving fitness standards has been a major focus.

"The coaches are demanding a lot and more of us, which can only be a good thing," said Boyde.

"You take the criticism, suck it up and get fitter. So that's what we've had to do otherwise we won't be playing on the weekend.

"Hopefully I can show a bit more of my attacking rugby rather than put my head, as you say, in the nasty places all the time in defence.

"It's the fittest I've been and I'm more of a senior player now at the ripe old age of 26, but physically I'm in really good shape.

"I'm getting a lot of compliments about my body so I'm in a really good place to go forward."