Northampton vs Leicester: Rugby community rallies together to forget a rivalry and honour Rob Horne

Before one of English rugby’s fiercest rivalries kicks off on Saturday afternoon, both sets of fans will stand to honour the former Wallaby whose career was cut down in its prime

Northampton's derby with Leicester will be played in Rob Horne's name on Saturday (Getty)

It’s hard to preview Saturday’s East Midlands derby by looking only at the face of things. Manu Tuilagi is back from injury, Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers are looking for the victory that will dispel predictions of being dragged into the relegation dogfight, and the match takes place of what could be up to 50,000 fans at Twickenham.

But it is the reason for that last point that puts all of the usual meaning behind the fixture into the stage. The derby will be contested this weekend in Rob Horne’s name, the former Australia international who suffered life-changing injuries in the reverse fixture last season when an innocuous-looking tackle resulted in him detaching all five nerves to his spinal cord from his right arm. The resulting paralysis in that limb forced him to retire after less than a season with Northampton, but the imprint that he had on the club in that short space of time will be emotionally demonstrated come Saturday afternoon.

The club have already promised to donate £5 for every season ticket holder at Franklin’s Gardens to Horne and his family, while the thousands who have purchased tickets already – and those who turn up on the day – will be able to add their bit extra if desired. Fundraising efforts will also be taking place throughout the day, with an auction also underway through Northampton’s club website.

Such acts of generosity are rare given that this is a very uncommon injury in rugby union, but when the rugby community is needed to come together, it does it pretty darn well.

“Rugby is a tight-knit community,” Horne says, having returned to the UK for the first time since moving back home to Australia to start an unwanted new chapter in his life. “It’s a small community, everyone knows each other. It’s the same in Australia. You look after your own.

“It’s always been a game that when something happens to one of your own – be it injury or something to do with your life – it’s the rugby club that’s your second home. It’s where you go for support, to hang out with your mates, for banter. It’s just where you go. Rugby clubs have always been like that. That’s the beauty of our game.”

But even so, Horne has been completely taken by surprise at the response to his benefit match, given he had spent the best part of nine months in Northampton before his horrific injury struck when he made the first tackle of the East Midlands derby on 14 April, just 12 seconds into the match.

“For sure,” Horne adds, “it’s been pretty unbelievable for me really. [It’s] hard to fathom really and I suppose hard to be the focus of as well.”

It’s that unblemished Australian determination, or Aussie Grit if you will, that shines through at this point. Sadly, Horne is not the first player to suffer paralysis in a match and he will not be the last, no matter how safe we try to make the sport. But throughout the last five-and-a-half months Horne has shown a remarkable positivity towards life that is incredibly inspiring for anyone that takes the time to read his story.

Horne was forced to retire after suffering nerve damage to his right arm (Andy Taylor)

Another figure in rugby union who has not allowed paralysis to prevent him from living his life is Matt Hampson, the former England Under-21 prop and Leicester Tigers forward who suffered a dislocated neck in 2005 that severed his spine in a scrum practice accident. Hampson was paralysed from the neck down, but that has not prevented him from setting up the Matt Hampson Foundation that this week opened a new sports rehabilitation centre to help patients cope with their injuries while offering support for their families.

“Who says you have to hit rock bottom?” Horne told the BBC Rugby Union Weekly Podcast this week in reference to his outlook on his new life.

He added: “Matt Hampson has made a real massive push for his foundation and what he’s doing in his life. I’ve been in contact with him.

“Like anything it’s always up to the individual. It’s up to you what you want to do, how far you want to go and where you want to get to. I’m determined to live the life I was going to live, if not better, because of this.”

Despite his unwavering positivity, Horne does not know how he will feel when he walks out at Twickenham. He is not a man for the spotlight, and while it will be an emotional moment for all of those inside the stadium – his family included – it’ll be something that he simply is not used to. But that is not to say that he doesn’t deserve it, and as a rivalry is put to one side to honour a man whose career was cut down in its prime, it’s fair to say we can all learn something from Rob Horne’s approach to life’s obstacles, no matter how big.

Tickets for ‘The Derby’ at Twickenham Stadium in aid of Rob Horne are on sale at www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/buytickets.