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Rugby in perspective for Larkham
A cancer scare has taught injured Wallabies five-eighth Steve Larkham to look at the bright side of life - and he can only see positives for the besieged Australian rugby team.
While a shoulder injury kept him out of Australia's disastrous European tour, Larkham yesterday admitted he was still in a high-risk cancer category after having a melanoma removed from the back of his knee this year.
Larkham said the realisation that he could have died from "an unusual mole" had given him a new-found perspective on his own rugby - and the plight of the under-fire Wallabies.
The classy pivot said much-maligned national coach Eddie Jones and skipper George Gregan should be backed - and not attacked - in the countdown to the 2007 World Cup which looms as Larkham's swansong.
"I think the criticism of those guys has been a little harsh and unfounded in that the team was improving on tour - in George's case I don't think he was playing bad rugby," he said.
"But it's the same as every year.
"I really think it would be a step backwards if they were sacked.
"I think it would make the situation at the World Cup very difficult.
"The foundations have been built over the last couple of years and it would be difficult if we made a change."
Larkham still believed Australia could win the World Cup despite notching just one win on tour.
"I think there are certain positives that they can take out of it - we are on track for 2007," he said.
"There were a lot of young guys who played well and in my opinion will continue to play well up until the next World Cup.
"The Australian team is improving from week to week and I think the structure is there for 2007.
"I think things are looking well for 2007. We had a hard tour but young guys have got that experience at the highest level now and it's going to fare very well for next year leading into 2007."
A successful battle with cancer has ensured a new-look Larkham will make his much-anticipated return from injury in the ACT Brumbies' opening Super 14 clash.
"At the beginning of the year I had a melanoma diagnosed - I was lucky enough to get it really early," he said.
"I was one of the fortunate ones. If it was another two or three months we don't know where it could have spread to.
"It was a big scare for me and I am still in a high risk category - my chances of getting another melanoma (have) increased to 18 per cent.
"It made me a lot more serious about my rugby.
"I was just cruising through rugby before but I have weighed it up now - there are definitely things that I want to achieve and may not have had a chance to achieve if things went differently."
Larkham - who was yesterday unveiled as Suncorp bank's skin cancer ambassador - said the scare ensured he "re-evaluated everything".
"When they initially told me I had a melanoma I just thought 'that's okay I will just get it cut out and there's no worries'," he said.
"Then it sunk in that it was a skin cancer. I realised it could be life threatening - I re-evaluated everything."
"You realise how fragile life really is," he said.
"I am lucky I got the wake-up call.
"I am just putting my head down and focussing more on rugby and life after rugby - there are so many things I want to achieve."
A cancer scare has taught injured Wallabies five-eighth Steve Larkham to look at the bright side of life - and he can only see positives for the besieged Australian rugby team.
While a shoulder injury kept him out of Australia's disastrous European tour, Larkham yesterday admitted he was still in a high-risk cancer category after having a melanoma removed from the back of his knee this year.
Larkham said the realisation that he could have died from "an unusual mole" had given him a new-found perspective on his own rugby - and the plight of the under-fire Wallabies.
The classy pivot said much-maligned national coach Eddie Jones and skipper George Gregan should be backed - and not attacked - in the countdown to the 2007 World Cup which looms as Larkham's swansong.
"I think the criticism of those guys has been a little harsh and unfounded in that the team was improving on tour - in George's case I don't think he was playing bad rugby," he said.
"But it's the same as every year.
"I really think it would be a step backwards if they were sacked.
"I think it would make the situation at the World Cup very difficult.
"The foundations have been built over the last couple of years and it would be difficult if we made a change."
Larkham still believed Australia could win the World Cup despite notching just one win on tour.
"I think there are certain positives that they can take out of it - we are on track for 2007," he said.
"There were a lot of young guys who played well and in my opinion will continue to play well up until the next World Cup.
"The Australian team is improving from week to week and I think the structure is there for 2007.
"I think things are looking well for 2007. We had a hard tour but young guys have got that experience at the highest level now and it's going to fare very well for next year leading into 2007."
A successful battle with cancer has ensured a new-look Larkham will make his much-anticipated return from injury in the ACT Brumbies' opening Super 14 clash.
"At the beginning of the year I had a melanoma diagnosed - I was lucky enough to get it really early," he said.
"I was one of the fortunate ones. If it was another two or three months we don't know where it could have spread to.
"It was a big scare for me and I am still in a high risk category - my chances of getting another melanoma (have) increased to 18 per cent.
"It made me a lot more serious about my rugby.
"I was just cruising through rugby before but I have weighed it up now - there are definitely things that I want to achieve and may not have had a chance to achieve if things went differently."
Larkham - who was yesterday unveiled as Suncorp bank's skin cancer ambassador - said the scare ensured he "re-evaluated everything".
"When they initially told me I had a melanoma I just thought 'that's okay I will just get it cut out and there's no worries'," he said.
"Then it sunk in that it was a skin cancer. I realised it could be life threatening - I re-evaluated everything."
"You realise how fragile life really is," he said.
"I am lucky I got the wake-up call.
"I am just putting my head down and focussing more on rugby and life after rugby - there are so many things I want to achieve."
