Friends rally for Thorne

A former All Black and his family remain in limbo as they wait for any sign of improvement from his 20-year-old son, left mute and partially paralysed by a stroke after a rugby match.

Grahame Thorne said the neurological condition of his son David had not changed yesterday, although he was able to feed himself with help.

"He's had lots of mates around. We still don't know if he's seeing anything, but he seemed to react to a few things. We are trying to be positive."

David Thorne, 20, a highly rated rugby player, reportedly injured an artery in his neck when tackled during a under-21 club rugby match in Motueka on Saturday.

He continued playing but quickly deteriorated after the match, and collapsed and suffered the stroke while being x-rayed at Nelson Hospital.

He was flown to Christchurch Hospital on Sunday, where he remains in a neurological ward.

Grahame Thorne, who played 10 tests for the All Blacks between 1967 and 1970, said his family had no more information about what David's prospects were. They had been told that he may never fully recover.

The doctor treating David Thorne at Christchurch Hospital declined to speak about his patient's condition.

Grahame Thorne said the phone calls and messages of support from around the world had been overwhelming.

The Tasman Rugby Union, which is investigating what happened to David Thorne in the rugby match, hopes to get all of the parties together this weekend to discuss it.

"There is a lot of different information coming from different people," said union spokesman Lee Germon.

The Waimea Old Boys Club that David Thorne was playing for had arranged for the team captain to fly from Nelson to Christchurch today to support the Thorne family.

Waimea club spokesman Mal Drummond said all of David's team-mates and the coach were shaken by what happened.

New Zealand Rugby Union deputy chief executive Steve Tew said David Thorne's injury was "very sad".

The NZRU had worked hard to ensure the game was as safe as it could be, he said.