Former Ospreys hooker Ifan Phillips is celebrating coaching success with his boyhood team, 18 months after losing his leg and playing career in a motorcycle accident.
The former Wales Under-20 star had to have his right leg amputated above the knee following the serious collision in Swansea in December 2021, but has approached the challenges he has faced since with a remarkably positive attitude. He returned to the gym just months after his life-changing injury, vowing to keep himself fit and involved in rugby.
As well as working as a TV pundit for S4C, the 27-year-old has also moved into coaching, taking up a role as a forwards coach at his junior club Crymych RFC.
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In his first full season as part of the coaching set-up, Phillips has helped them secure promotion to the Championship from Division One West, with 19 wins from 22 matches seeing Crymych finish third in the table, just behind Newcastle Emlyn and champions Llangennech.
As well as their success in the league, they also signed off the season in style by winning 20-10 against a Narberth Development XV to retain the Pembrokeshire Cup.
Crymych will now take their place in the new-look Championship, which has been split into two regional leagues of 12 teams - east and west - from next season.
And head coach Elgan Vittle said the addition of Phillips to the coaching squad had made a significant contribution to the team's success, having been blown away by his attitude and expertise.
“Ifan has done the forwards with us since October," Vittle told the WRU. “As a coaching staff, we have learned so much from him. He brings that knowledge and experience from the professional game. He picks up on little detail and things we haven’t even thought of.
“It’s second nature to him because this is what he used to do for a living with the Ospreys, watching videos of games on a Monday morning and picking up on things.
“It’s been a fantastic eye opener of little details and the way he delivers it to the boys is good as well. He has been great. The respect he has off the boys is second to none.
“He has handled his situation superbly," he added. "He has got a really positive attitude and he is so keen. He was just glad to get out of the house and do stuff with us. Hopefully long may that continue.”
Following the horror crash which ended his playing career, Phillips was rushed to hospital but doctors were unable to save his leg.
Reliving the accident on S4C's Jonathan nearly a year later, he said: "I was going for a spin on the bike and I hit my friend's back tyre. We were both out riding on the bike and I lost control of the bike. I went up the kerb and went straight towards the traffic light pole.
"My leg was dangling because I was losing balance. It came off straight away. I remember sitting on the side, when I came off the bike. I didn't notice straight away that it was off. The moment I noticed it was off was when I tried to get up and go to my friend. I got up and I fell down on my face! I remember thinking 'there's something wrong here'.
"Because I had my helmet on, I couldn't see properly. I remember thinking 'I've dislocated my knee'. I was trying to knock my knee in and I hit nothing. That's when I noticed. I looked to my left, there was the bike. I looked to my right and there was my leg."
Just 100 days after the crash, however, he received a new prosthetic leg and foot after more than £75,000 was raised to support him during his rehabilitation.
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