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Rudi Wulf's fairytale return to rugby reached its climax when he made his test debut for the All Blacks against England last month.
Wulf (24) broke his neck when he was in camp with the New Zealand under-21 team in 2005.
He stayed in hospital in Auckland when the team flew out to the World Cup in Argentina.
He was at the team hotel jumping in and out of the hot spa and into the cold swimming pool when the accident occurred/.
"I finished off with a dive and hit the bottom of the pool head first and fractured the C1 vertebrae in my neck," he said.
It was an injury that could have ended his life or confined him to a wheelchair.
It looked as though his promising rugby career had ended.
Wulf has had a long road back to the rugby paddock, with many painful and sleepless nights when the hours ticked away very slowly.
"I was in a halo brace for three months and then wore a normal neck brace for another two months," he said.
It was a long 11 months before he was able to play his next rugby game for the Marist club in Auckland.
"I knew I had to be patient," Wulf said.
"It was frustrating at times, especially when I wanted to get back into rugby and start exercising but I couldn't do it.
"I just had to trust what my doctors said and my surgeon's recommendations and wait until I was given the all-clear."
It was a tough emotional time for Wulf because at first his surgeon did not know if he would be able to play rugby again.
"It depended on how well the fracture healed.
"I just had to be patient."
He was naturally apprehensive when he started playing rugby again.
"I wasn't sure if the neck would hold up in contact," he said.
"It was a bit scary for me."
"The neck was tested in his second club game for Marist when an opponent's knee struck his head.
"I heard a little crack. I stood up to see if there was any pain but it was fine.
"It was my green light and I then knew that everything was all right."
His family and his fiancée, Nancy Koia, gave him the moral support to get through his injury and get into the All Blacks.
He also paid tribute to the spiritual backing of the Sir Thomas More Catholic Church in Glenfield, on the North Shore, during his recovery.
"A lot of friends from that parish prayed for me and gave me the faith to believe that I would be able to get back into rugby."
How did he enjoy his first test against the Springboks?
"It was pretty intense. I knew it would be a tough game.
"I'd watched Springbok games in the past and knew it would be hard."
Wulf played his first test against England at Christchurch and his second against the Springboks in Wellington.
He does not expect it to get any easier in his third test match, at Carisbrook tomorrow.
"The Springboks are always tough, especially when they have been beaten. They will fight back so we will need to take another step up."
Wulf first had the dream of becoming an All Black when he started playing rugby at Rosmini College at the age of 13 and watched the All Blacks play South Africa.
"That's when I started watching the All Blacks and thought it would be cool to be part of that team some day."
He learnt valuable lessons from the Cake Tin experience last Saturday.
"It was a really intense test and I found the pace of the game fast with the Elvs [experimental law variations]," he said.
"There are a lot more tap kicks and chasing and turning around and the game has sped up."
Wulf was born in Auckland but his parents are from Samoa.
They watched the game at Wellington, but his fiancée will be at Carisbrook tomorrow night.