Hardcore rugby fan Nat Manville has uncovered some sporting history while converting old games taped on video to digital files.
He played rugby since he was five, but when it was 18 it nearly killed him.
“Went in to clear out a ruck and got dragged over and landed wrong on my head."
After six months at Burwood Hospital Spinal Unit in Christchurch and 18 months in a Palmerston North motel, Nat was able to return home.
Instead of playing rugby, the 27-year-old began to watch it.
One day, by watching rugby history, Nat found rugby history.
Stephen Berg at the National Rugby Museum has been giving Nat the tapes to digitise and couldn’t believe the day he found a “really special piece of footage”.
Nat had come across the first-ever sanctioned New Zealand women’s rugby team – footage that had previously been thought of as lost.
It was discovered on what was considered to be a blank tape.
“Not even on the label of the video, so you had to watch it to know it was there.”
Now, Nat is back playing wheelchair rugby.
Despite nearly killing him, rugby is still number one.
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