STANDING at 200 centimetres, Otago Highlanders lock Ben Wheeler is sure to stand out when he arrives in Wagga for the trial match against the ACT Brumbies tomorrow.
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While his height is a great asset in the Highlanders’ lineout, growing into his big frame caused plenty of pains.
Wheeler, 27, had a slow start to his Super Rugby career before overcoming a serious back injury to find his feet with the Highlanders.
He had three injury-riddled years with the Canterbury Crusaders before moving to Dunedin.
He spent 18 months on the sidelines after undergoing back surgery on a prolapsed disc in 2012, with a lot of his problems put down to him slowly developing into his body.
“It was a bit scary as you’re never sure how you are going to recover and come back from something like that,” he said.
“Thankfully it was successful, it took a good 18 months to get back to the norm in terms of fitness and strength, but once it came back it was all guns blazing.”
It wasn’t just his back that caused plenty of time on the sidelines, with a shoulder injury also preventing his career from gaining momentum.
Wheeler admitted it was a frustrating time, but thought being able to overcome the injuries had been a big life lesson.
“You don’t take anything for granted in terms on what you do and I think it was a good lesson,” he said.
“It’s probably made me stronger as a person and a rugby player.”
After playing just three Super Rugby games in three seasons for the Crusaders, Wheeler has played 26 for the Highlanders, including 16 last year.
Still, he wants to continue establishing himself this year.
“Last year was a good year for us, the team performed reasonably well in making the playoffs, but unfortunately we couldn’t push on from that,” Wheeler said.
“For me personally, hopefully I can build on what we did and get some regular game time.
“We have a lot of competition for spots so it’s going to be a competitive year for everyone.”
The Highlanders arrive in Wagga this evening and will stay until Tuesday.
Wheeler is looking forward to the game at Equex Centre.
“It’s going to be huge as the Brumbies were one of the teams setting the pace last year and it will be a really good gauge of where we are at,” he said.
“We had a good start to our pre-season program last week against the Crusaders, but there are still some areas of our game we need to scrub up a little bit.”
The Highlanders are looking to continue to work on their set-piece before the season starts on February 13.
Wheeler said the defensive systems were another focus, and against a Wallabies-studded Brumbies outfit the Dunedin team would get plenty of opportunities.
He was also keen to get to know Wagga in his brief time in the city.
“I’m looking forward to getting out among the community and seeing what Wagga Wagga has to offer,” Wheeler said.
“None of us boys have been there before so I’m really looking forward to it.”
