by Paul Cook - Recovering from a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) to continue a sporting career is fast-becoming a commonplace occurrence in the professional arena. The severity of such an injury to an elite athlete used to signal a potential hanging up of the boots, but advances in medical technology and surgical techniques have meant that more often than not, the injured party can now make a full recovery and resume his/her place back in their chosen field in around nine months. Recovering from two ACL’s to the same knee is a little bit more problematic, particularly in such a gladiatorial sport as rugby, where each and every contact with an opposing player is a potential contest for the ball, played out by any number of 100-plus kilo behemoths – and that’s just the backs. But while a second tear to the same area is far from ideal, and can leave a player exposed to further problems down the line, with today’s technology and the advances in the rehabilitation process,