ACT Brumbies back-rower Ben Hyne has played just five games in three injury-plagued Super Rugby seasons, but the club has shown faith with a one-year contract extension.
Hyne required a knee reconstruction and missed the entire 2018 season after he was injured playing for the Canberra Vikings in the 2017 National Rugby Championship.
The Brumbies have re-signed injury-played back-rower Ben Hyne.
Hyne was man-of-the-match in three of the first four Vikings games before injury struck and the setback came after a dislocated ankle ended his 2016 season with his Super Rugby career just four minutes old.
The 24-year-old admits he wasn't sure the Brumbies were going to table another contract and said it was a "massive relief" when coach Dan McKellar broke the news.
"It’s always worrying when you’re injured and you can’t prove anything on the field to get re-signed, but the club showed faith in me and hopefully I’ll repay the favour," Hyne said.
"There’s definitely been highs and lows but there’s a great group down here. The Brumbies family stayed tight around me, kept me involved and the last 10 months have sort of gone quite quickly.
"You can see where you were and that’s what you’re working towards, just to get back there and perform at the ability you know you can. It definitely feels like I've come back stronger."
Hyne developed a reputation in the capital as bruising back-rower and despite his injuries, the 194cm and 105kg Queenslander has no intention of changing his game.
"Probably not the best ideas but it's the way I play and I don't think it’ll change, just hope for a bit better luck," Hyne said.
"I played against Easts in last round of the John I Dent Cup [two weeks ago] and it was good to get the monkey off the back with a couple of carries and tackles.
"I've put my faith in the rehab team here and if they say I'm right to rip in then I'm right to rip in, no point holding back 10 or 20 per cent."
Hyne's return from injury will help offset the departure of Isi Naisarani but he'll still be competing with Wallabies David Pocock and Pete Samu – and Olympian Tom Cusack – for game time next season.
Hyne was injured just four minutes into his Super Rugby career in 2016.
But the bustling back-rower said he wasn't feeling the pressure to slot straight back into the game-day squad.
"I just want to get back to where I was and the form I was in coming into NRC last year. I’ve had those chats with Dan and he knows it's a big injury to come back from and doesn't expect me to get to where I was straight away," Hyne said.
"The pressure will come if it's been a couple of games and I’m not performing, but I don't see any real pressure on me in terms of trying to make the 23 each week with the new players [Samu] coming."
Hyne was concussed in his comeback match but is expected to play for Tuggeranong when they host Gungahlin in the John I Dent Cup preliminary final at Viking Park on Saturday.
He'll then turn his attention to the Vikings and wants to use the NRC as a launching pad to start his Super Rugby career anew.
"I see the NRC as a 10-week block to put some good games together and put my name forward for selection around trials and round one," Hyne said.
"Preseason will have a big say in that but I'm definitely using NRC as a bit of a challenge to get back to playing good rugby."
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