NEWS

Free Jacks’ Le Roux Malan Ahead of Week 13

Written by Joe Harvey | Photo by Burt Granofsky

Le Roux Malan’s path to playing for the New England Free Jacks in 2024 was more arduous than most.

Just months after scoring the try that handed the Massachusetts club their first-ever Major League Rugby title, the 25-year-old sustained a catastrophic leg injury at the Rugby World Cup in France.

Dislocating his ankle, fracturing his fibula, and tearing his semitendinosus in the first half of Namibia’s 71-3 loss to the All Blacks, what followed for Malan was seven months of rehabilitation in New England to get back on the field.

Now nearing the year mark since he crossed the whitewash at SeatGeek Stadium to help Scott Mathie‘s team lift the Shield, there is plenty to reflect on. 

“It has been a rollercoaster,” Malan said. “Honestly, it has been very emotional. 

“The highs were extremely high, and the lows were extremely low. Challenging. Probably the most challenging in my life.

“It has been a weird process, one that entails a ton of growth and experience. 

“There was a bit of everything, and the fact that the Free Jacks took me straight into their care shows me how great a club it is. That has been special.”

Photo by Brendan Buckley

FREE JACKS TO CREDIT FOR RETURN

Malan returned to the rugby field six days after celebrating his 25th birthday.

Getting a start against the Miami Sharks, who will be this weekend’s opponents in Week 13, the center massively credits the Free Jacks with facilitating his comeback.

Returning to Boston a month after suffering the injury, he worked with the club’s head of medical, Mike Buonopane, to set his timeline for playing rugby again.

“The whole idea was that I would take it extremely slow, staying in a moon boot for six weeks instead of six,” Malan said.

“Not having it in-season was way better; it almost didn’t feel like rehab. 

“I did some upper body conditioning, and twice a week, I was getting treatment on my leg and doing a bunch of ankle exercises.

“I went home for Christmas, and it ramped up after that. Those three months into March felt like preseason. It was still quite controlled, and we were taking it step by step. 

“I had a bit of pain in the ankle and the Achilles, but the physios were surprised by my ankle’s mobility and that it was healing up really well.

“I owe the Free Jacks’ medical staff so much, and all of the credit really goes to them.”

Following that period of constant conditioning and treatment, Malan finally became able to start running again.

A major milestone on his road back to a matchday 23, there was still trepidation for the four-cap Namibia international who has the image of his foot pointing in the wrong direction seared into his mind.

“It was like, is my ankle going to break again?” Malan chuckled. 

“The thing about the ankle break wasn’t how it broke; it was how it stayed in that broken place, and I couldn’t move it. 

“That was weird; seeing it and knowing my leg was really bad.

“Jogging again, I was thinking ‘how is my ankle back doing what it is doing?’.”

Having initially aimed to return ahead of the St. Patrick’s Weekend clash with the NOLA Gold at Veterans Memorial Stadium, Malan returned for New England after their first bye week.

Playing 68 minutes against Miami before being replaced by Killian Coghlan in the 25-3, Malan was finally back on the field.

“I was stoked,” Malan said. “I started and my expectations were way way too high for myself. 

“I was disappointed in myself, but I was reminded by people around me to chill out, that they believed in me, and not to be too hard on myself coming back from a traumatic injury. 

“I am extremely competitive, so I was disappointed. It was a bunch of feelings. 

“That is what the year was; a bit of everything. It was awesome to play rugby again, that was the main thing of it all.”

Photo by John Matthew Harrison

BACK-TO-BACK IN 2024

In Week 12, the Free Jacks beat the San Diego Legion 23-22 in a repeat of last year’s Championship Final.

Among the replacements in his team’s visit to California, Malan is now preparing for a trip to Florida to play the Sharks live on FS2.

Topping the Eastern Conference, the reigning champions clearly have their sights firmly set on repeating their title-winning exploits from a year ago. 

“Who wouldn’t want to go back-to-back after winning the league?” Malan said. 

“The culture that the free jacks have cultivated over the past couple of years, if I think back on how much we have grown as a group since my first year, it is immense. 

“The foundations are laid already, so it is on us to perform. The culture is good enough, and the belief is strong enough to go back-to-back. 

“The depth within the squad is very strong, and the idea of going back-to-back is in our heads. 

“We have to go step by step, getting to the playoffs and taking it from there.”