The big interview: Tyler Bleyendaal’s triumph in the face of adversity

The neck injury, which forced his retirement last year, may have stinted Tyler Bleyendaal's on-field impact with Munster but it forced him to work harder behind the scenes to prove his worth to his teammates and coaches.  

Assistant Coach Tyler Bleyendaal partakes in training with the Hurricanes earlier this month. Throughout his career he has led on the field and in the dressing room, like his Munster nickname indicated, ‘The General’. Picture: Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images

An emotional Canterbury dressing room sat in silence as head coach Scott Robertson passed the floor to Tyler Bleyendaal. It was September 2014, and the 24-year-old was unable to sleep or sit without medication. His season was done. Time to say goodbye.

In May, it was announced that the New Zealand out-half would join Munster. In the meantime, he was determined to drive the red and blacks to their seventh National Provincial Championship in a row. Then a blow to the head against Waikato brought turmoil.