'I didn't think I'd ever run again': Erin King on terrifying injury that neary ended rugby career

King finally returned to the field on January 3

Erin King pictured at the launch of Sport Ireland’s Women’s in Sport Week 2026

New Irish rugby captain Erin King has revealed the terrifying extent of the injury she suffered against England in last year’s Six Nations and the remarkable recovery she has made since.

“It was so serious that I didn’t know if I would ever play again. I was told I possibly wouldn’t even be able to run again,” the 22-year-old Wicklow flanker has disclosed.

“It was a very unusual injury that needed unique surgery at Santry Sports Clinic. Almost all of the cartilage was knocked off the back of my kneecap. It needed nano-fracturing (a form of micro-needling to stimulate cell regrowth), and then collagen from a pig was inserted to give it a new structure.

“I’m very stubborn so I never gave up hope but, mentally, it was the lowest I’ve ever been,” King admitted, and not just because she had to sit out last Summer's World Cup where Ireland reached the quarter-finals.

“I feel like I was born to play rugby. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do in life, so when I was out of it for so long, and potentially forever, I really struggled with my identity.

“I had to make myself forget about rugby and how much joy it gave me, otherwise I just wouldn’t have been able to get through it.

“Initially I thought I’d be back in time for the World Cup. When I heard how bad it was I was in a bit of denial. The only way I got through it was by going into our high performance centre every day with purpose.

“Many of my teammates have had long-term injuries so they were a great help to me. The physios and coaches gave me a schedule – a reason to get up and work hard every day – so coming back from rehab, I was the strongest and fittest I've ever been.

“But the first day that I ran again last September, in the IRFU’s indoor centre on the Sport Ireland campus, I bawled crying,” King revealed.

“I was fighting the odds for so long that I couldn’t believe it. That was the moment I realised I could and would make it back.” 

It still took until the New Year for her competitive return, playing 20 minutes for the Wolfhounds versus the Clovers in the Celtic Challenge on January 3.

“I was more nervous ahead of it than I was for the Olympics but the minute it started and I was involved, that was it. The fact that it was between two Irish sides helped. Everyone made the day really special for me.” 

King famously signed a contract to play Sevens for Ireland before her Leaving Cert.

She was only 20 at the Paris Olympics where she went ‘viral’ thanks to her phenomenal strength in saving teammate Emily Lane over her shoulders on a re-start lift.

She only made her international 15s debut in September 2024 yet won World Rugby’s ‘Breakthrough Player of the Year’ that season after impressing during Ireland’s WXV1 campaign, including two tries against the Black Ferns.

Given her youth, relative inexperience at 15s and the fact that she’s been out of action for so long, there was some surprise when Ireland head coach Scott Bemand appointed her Irish captain last month.

Just why he’s invested so much faith in her is evidenced by her tenacious comeback, and was also apparent in her impassioned launch of Sport Ireland’s upcoming Women in Sport Week (March 2nd -8th).

King says all the record-breaking metrics of the 2025 World Cup in England are proof positive of how quickly women’s sport can grow if there is enough investment and visibility.

“I played with boys until Under-12 because I was one of only a few girls playing. I had to go to Naas RFC to find an all-girls’ team but there is now a rugby club in Blessington that goes up to Under-16s, with loads of girls playing Under-Eights.

“Three years ago we were rock bottom in the Six Nations but look at the progress since. That's why it's so important to create visibility and support in initiatives like Women in Sport Week.

“For a girl to feel comfortable in sport they have to feel valued and appreciated. Male players always seem to be appreciated, but that’s been missing for women. I feel that recognition, and showing up for girls and women, is vital, no matter what sport they are involved with.

“Campaigns like this, which underline that we put in the same energy and work as men, are important to highlight that women are still treated differently.

“Irish women’s rugby has come on in leaps and bounds in the past 10 years. The IRFU has invested in us, we’ve become professionals and now have a full coaching staff. We’re playing in the same facilities and stadia as the men. We play our first standalone Six Nations game in the Aviva this year and our opener against England is in Twickenham (April 11).

“I'm very lucky to have been part of a generation that was treated better, but, at under-age level, I still didn’t have the same pathways and supports that are now coming on board.

“I’ve spoken to so many parents whose kids have picked up a ball since the World Cup. Some of that was helped by social media, like Anna McGann and Eve Higgins showing their personalities on TikTok.

“That doesn’t happen in the men’s game but, in the women’s game, we have to promote ourselves and we’re happy to do it, because we’ve learned that’s what we may need to do to get more people onboard, and to be seen and valued.”