Rugby: Former All Black stalwart Adam Thomson rushed to hospital with mystery illness

Adam Thomson scored six tries for the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport

By Eduan Roos

Former All Black and Otago stalwart Adam Thomson has spent at least a week in a Japanese hospital with medical specialists unable to determine the cause of his "excruciating pain".

The 35-year-old has been unable to walk due to the mystery illness and admits it will be a long road to recovery.

Thompson was admitted to the Tsukuba Memorial hospital in Tokyo with a yet-to-be diagnosed illness, causing the player nicknamed "BFG" and "Wooly Mammoth" due to his size "excruciating pain".

The flanker, who represented the All Blacks in 29 tests between 2008 and 2012, was hospitalised after being rushed to A&E in the middle of the night.

Adam Thompson playing for the All Blacks in 2009. Photo / NZPA

In an Instagram post on Friday, Thomson's partner, reality TV star Jessie Gurunathan, described it as "one hell of an ordeal" and "the biggest fright".

"Christmas this year so far has been mostly spent in hospital with the BFG giving me the biggest fright in the 6 years we've been doing life together," she wrote on Friday.

"A few nights ago I had to rush him to A&E in the middle of the night & it's been one hell of an ordeal.

"But day three and things are finally looking up. There is still no official diagnosis (they suspect it's been a severe infection that's caused serious internal inflammation & excruciating pain)."

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Christmas this year so far has been mostly spent in hospital with the BFG giving me the biggest fright in the 6 years we've been doing life together. A few nights ago I had to rush him to A&E in the middle of the night & it's been one hell of an ordeal. But day three and things are finally looking up 👌🏽 There is still no official diagnosis(they suspect it's been a severe infection thats caused serious internal inflamation & excruciating pain) but I'm just so grateful to see him slowly start getting back to his old self (when he starts taking the piss, winding me up and being a menace it's a good sign!) & getting that famous Thomo sense of humour back. Fingers crossed tomorrow he can actually sit up and maybe even walk 🤞I'd love to have him home for Christmas day so that's the goal we are working towards atm 😊💓 What was meant to be a holiday visit for my bro @ra_guru to spend Christmas with us has turned into THE biggest godsend right now. When Adam and I are so far from home and our family & friends at a time like this it's been especially hard so having our favourite third wheel here has been amazing. @ra_guru I'm sorry it's not quite been the holiday you were expecting but thank you for making us smile and bringing some much needed laughter back into our lives. I'm definitely counting my blessings right now and am so thankful for the people that matter the most in my life. Thank you to everyone who has sent us well wishes and reached out, it's not gone unnoticed ❤️

A post shared by Jessie Gurunathan (@jessie_guru) on Dec 21, 2017 at 10:26pm PST

Thomson posted from his hospital bed on Tuesday that he had a long road to recovery ahead, while Gurunathan said they were hoping that he'd be able to walk again soon.

According to Gurunathan, the setback hasn't affected Thomson's famous sense of humour, with him giving fans the thumbs up and joking that he almost had his moustache amputated.

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It was touch and go for a while there and we almost had to amputate but to the credit of this crack Japanese medical team they were able to save the moustache. 😇 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But in all seriousness it's been a tough week full of unexpected challenges. It's going to be a long road to get back on my feet but I'm up for it. I'm overwhelmed by all the love and support from friends and family all over the planet, words can't express what it means, I didn't expect such a big response. I'm humbled and my thanks and love go back to you all! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Here's a little Xmas cheer from my hospital bed in Tokyo, give all your loved ones an extra big hug this year, don't take anything for granted! Merry Christmas x 🎄🤶🙏❤️

A post shared by Adam Thomson (@adamjohnthomson) on Dec 25, 2017 at 3:40am PST

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"But in all seriousness, it's been a tough week full of unexpected challenges. It's going to be a long road to get back on my feet but I'm up for it," Thomson said.

"I'm overwhelmed by all the love and support from friends and family all over the planet, words can't express what it means, I didn't expect such a big response. I'm humbled and my thanks and love go back to you all!."

Thomson represented New Zealand at secondary schools, under-19, under-21 and Sevens and played close to 100 Super Rugby matches for the Highlanders, Reds and Rebels.

He joined the Tokyo-based Canon Eagles in 2013.