Rugby Union News: Bath Prop Archie Griffin Recovers from Unexpected Heart Condition
Bath prop Archie Griffin has revealed he was diagnosed with a heart problem at the start of the new Gallagher Premiership season, but the 23-year-old is now fully recovered and available for Wales’ upcoming autumn Tests against Fiji, Australia, and South Africa.
In Bath’s league opener against Northampton on September 20, Griffin experienced severe tightness in his chest after coming on as a second-half substitute. Following a thorough medical examination, he was diagnosed with pericarditis, a condition where the sac around the heart becomes inflamed.
“I played in the Northampton game off the bench and had pericarditis during the game,” Griffin told Mail Sport. “At the time, I obviously didn’t know what it was. After the game, I had lots of check-ups and found out what had happened. I had to take lots of medication. I had two weeks off exercise, apart from walking my dog, before slowly getting back into full training.”
Despite the scare, Griffin, who has three caps for Wales, stated that the issue “came out of nowhere” and was “really scary” at the time. However, he has since fully recovered and is now available for selection for Wales’ upcoming autumn internationals.
“It’s made it more clear to me now that all I want to do is play rugby,” Griffin said. “Not being able to do anything for two weeks shows you not to take it for granted.”
The young tighthead, who was born in Sydney and qualified for England and Australia before representing Wales, is highly rated by his coaches at both club and international level. He started both of Wales’ summer tour matches against Australia and is expected to feature prominently in the upcoming autumn campaign as the team looks to end a run of nine straight Test losses.
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