Waratahs prop Harry Johnson-Holmes is pushing to return for the finals, conceding he thought his season was over after suffering an MCL injury.
Johnson-Holmes got twisted awkwardly in a cleanout during the 24-20 victory over the Crusaders, suffering a grade three tear.
The nasty nature of the incident had the one-time Wallaby fearing his season was over after earning a call-up to the national side, with scans fortunately coming back positive as he pushes to be right for the finals starting June 4.
“The scans came back as positive as they could be. We’re just working hard towards (returning for finals) and getting some good progress,” Johnson-Holmes told Rugby.com.au
“I thought I’d completely done an absolute number on my knee so I thought I might not be playing footy for the next 12 months. I was just keen on getting back up and playing a little bit more footy with the guys plus the game was very so I was keen on trying to help out.
“That’s the main reason I got back up because I thought I’d done my ACL and wanted to play a bit more before that but it’s great news and once I realised I wasn’t able to run that fast, I thought I’d get off and get Archer Holz on who was going to do a much better job than I would.”
Johnson-Holmes remains firmly on Wallabies selector's radars, confirming he had discussions with Dave Rennie after the incident.
Last month, the 25-year-old rejected several offers to play overseas, signing on with the Waratahs until 2024.
He joins a host of Super Rugby and Wallabies stars opting to stick around past the 2023 World Cup with a Lions Tour in 2025 and a home World Cup in 2027 on the horizon.
“It’s indicative of the people in the past couple of weeks saying they are keen to stay on home soil and play in Super Rugby rather than copping some good money overseas,” he believes.
“It’s an exciting event. People want to play in the World Cup and for it to be played in Australia, it’s going to be a really historic event for this era of Australian Rugby players.
“I think it comes down to confidence as players in the program we have at the national level. You don’t want to be the person who misses out on the glory that comes from the hard work we’re putting in at the Super level.
“It’s less about that money aspect or the experience of going overseas, it’s more so people wanting to be a part of the legacy. If your around that Wallabies group, you’ll understand we’re on the cusp of something special and a genuine legacy in that green and gold.”
