Jake McCallum will celebrate a few firsts as he laces up his boots next week: the first training of the year, his first time on the pitch in six weeks and, most of all, becoming the first known epileptic rugby player in Hong Kong.
McCallum has been patiently biding time pending a medical all-clear after suffering two seizures in two weeks on the field at King’s Park in November, both times while in trials for the city’s under-19 team. “I desperately want to get back to it,” says the frustrated 16-year-old. He insists epilepsy is, for him, “no big deal” and is keen to get back to playing rugby – and getting on with life.
