Stefan Ratchford’s horrific facial injury left him unable to talk, eat or brush his teeth properly for over a month.
The Warrington Wolves captain suffered 11 fractures in a collision with St Helens player James Bell as Wire beat their old rivals 24-10 on July 19.
Bell accidentally caught the England international with his elbow causing serious damage to Ratchford’s face, which required surgery and needed bars and braces fitted to his teeth to correct his jaw.
The injury forced Ratchford out of Warrington’s push for the League Leaders’ Shield in Super League, although he is still hoping to play a part in the remainder of the season.
That is a surprise given the extent of the damage, as Ratchford revealed to BBC Radio Merseyside.
“The CT scan showed I had 10 fractures,” the 36-year-old said.
“My eye socket had gone, my cheekbone was depressed and there were a few fractures to the upper jaw and lower jaw, as well as some bones across the top of your teeth, and between my nose and lip.
“When they went in [to his mouth] for surgery to put a plate in, they found I’d fractured the roof of my mouth as well, so they had to do a plate there as well.”
He added: “The doctors and surgeons were really surprised at the amount of damage from the incident. James messaged me the next day to apologise but I said there was no need, as it was an accident.
“These things happen, it’s a rough-and-tumble sport.”
