A RUGBY player who suffered a serious neck injury earlier this year returned to Sixways for the first time.

Worcester Warriors lock Michael Fatialofa returned to Sixways for the first time since suffering serious spinal injuries against Saracens in January.

Fatialofa was driven to and from Sixways by his team-mate, flanker Matti Williams, who is a near-neighbour in Cheltenham, being applauded into the Warriors High Performance Centre by players and staff who put up ‘Welcome Back Fats’ banners.

He spent almost two hours at Sixways where he did walking exercises on the pitch under the supervision of Warriors Head of Medical Ryan Kehoe and also had a stint on an exercise bike in the indoor training barn.

For Warriors players, who returned to training on Monday, welcoming back their stricken team-mate was both emotional and inspiring.

Fatialofa spent five months in hospital – the first of them in the Intensive Care Unit of St Mary’s Hospital in London.

READ MORE: Michael Fatialofa discharged from hospital after serious neck injury

Having made remarkable progress during four months at the Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital in Aylesbury, Fatialofa was discharged 11 days ago and returned to Sixways today to continue his rehabilitation under the supervision of Warriors’ medical staff.

His teammate Jono Kitto said: "It was unbelievable seeing him again. With the lockdown it’s been a while since I have been able to visit him so it was great to see him face-to-face.

"It’s just incredible to see how far he has come and how well he is doing.

"We have all been thinking about him and hoping and praying that he is recovering well. Obviously he is.

"He will be stoked to be back home and the next phase of his recovery.

"I am so happy for him that he is progressing well and he is on the up."