Adam Hastings is thrilled to be back playing rugby following a “hellish” 18 months riddled with injuries.
The 27-year-old Scotland fly-half sustained shoulder, ankle and knee injuries during that period and required four operations.
Now he is fit again and playing regularly for Gloucester.
“The past season-and-a-half has been fairly hellish for me in terms of just getting through games,” Hastings told the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast.
“I strung a bit together at the start of last year before the autumn and then I just went on this run of injury after injury. I just couldn’t quite believe it was happening to be honest.
“You hear about boys having these injury troubles and you always think ‘that will never be me’, but then I’m there with my fourth operation of the year kind of staring down the barrel.”
Hastings’ injury woes started in his last appearance for Scotland against Fiji in November 2022, when a crunching hit from lock Ratu Rotuisolia ended his involvement.
That set off a chain of injury problems that have blighted his career since, to the extent that Hastings explored some unconventional methods as he sought to shake his injury jinx.
“My sister bought me a voucher to see a shaman in Barcelona, a witch doctor, so I’ll need to use that in the summer maybe,” he said.
“I just said to her after maybe my fourth injury, ‘I must be cursed – what the hell is going on?’. She went to see a witch doctor, who did these cards for me and things like that, even though I wasn’t there.
“Apparently she really wants to see me, this witch doctor – so I might pay her a visit in summer time.
“I was pretty dark for a while, at least a couple of weeks, then I got back on the horse again. I just let myself have it for a little bit, let myself feel down. I kind of know the rehab process well now and what you have to do, taking the small wins.
“I’m so happy to be back out there playing, it’s been so enjoyable. It would be nicer if we were winning but I’m just happy to be back out there with the boys and contributing.”
Hastings kicked a penalty and a conversion as Gloucester led Bath at half-time last weekend but the home side fought back to win 17-10 and consign the Cherry and Whites to a record-breaking ninth consecutive Premiership defeat.
