Overcoming adversity: Dorothy Wall's rehab story

In the 2025 Six Nations, Dorothy Wall was playing out of her skin.

The versatile forward was as close as you can get to a sure thing to feature in the Green Wave’s first game of the upcoming World Cup - until, as it so often does, the cruel hand of fate intervened.

The moment came during the 17th minute of Ireland’s final game of the Six Nations, when Wall ruptured her Achilles tendon, ending her hopes of taking the field at a game-changing World Cup.

Rather than bemoaning her misfortune, however, the Exeter Chiefs lock displayed huge resilience and focused solely on her comeback, returning earlier than scheduled against Harlequins in November.

Before that game, Chiefs head coach Steve Salvin said: "I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a player so committed to her rehab and return ahead of schedule."

Wall is more modest when reflecting on her journey and admits there were plenty of tough times along the way.

“There are a lot of players I know who are equally as motivated as me,” Wall said. “It's not so much motivation. There are days when you can't really be arsed, you're not in the right headspace, your body doesn't feel good, but it's kind of more discipline than motivation.

“My mindset varied a lot. It honestly feels like ages ago now, even though it was only last April. When you first get injured, you obviously have to grieve what you're missing, like the World Cup, pre-season, and the first few PWR games.

“I became really focused on myself and did things to serve me and my rehab. I switched rugby off to be honest, and it was all about getting better and protecting myself physically and mentally through the whole process.

“In rehab, you could move things around. You can still get things done in the week but because you're on your own schedule, if you need a day where you're really sad or your body's not reacting as you think it will, you can move it.”

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As with any rehab programme, Wall spent a lot of time in the gym and began pushing some incredible numbers.

Exeter posted a video on social media in August in which she hip thrusted a whopping 270 kg for six reps, and Wall said she got even stronger.

She said: “I think my PB is 300kg, but I haven't done that in a while. I think I've got very long levers, so it's kind of an exercise that suits me. I'm not as good at squatting, so you know, that's how it balances out.

“It’s just how I'm genetically made up, the length of my legs, it's one that suits me and I like it. It's not on my programme anymore, though, so I don't know if I'd be up that high anymore”

After six months on the sidelines, Wall finally returned to the pitch, replacing Gabriella Nigrelli in Exeter’s 26-19 win over Quins in Round 4.

“It was just so cool to be a part of it again,” Wall said. “You watch from the sidelines for so long, and all the advice I got was just go out and enjoy it.

“I had 20 minutes. We didn't really have the ball much, so I ended up tackling and it was just good to hit a few people, get back into the physical side of the game and not think too deeply other than be happy that I got to the point where my body can function at that level.

“In terms of my performance, I was taking it all with a pinch of salt because it was just about being back out there really.”

With Wall back in the lineup, Chiefs have cemented themselves in the play-off hunt and currently sit fourth, a point behind Quins ahead of the rematch between the sides this weekend.

And Wall believes her side still has the best yet to come as they seek greater consistency in the remainder of the season. 

“We've had some draws, and we've had some games that we've left behind us,” she admitted.

“We're just striving to get to that level of consistency where we're performing at a level that we know we're capable of. We have amazing players and a great coaching team.

“I strongly believe it's all going to gel over the next few games. It's just learning how we want to play this year and kind of finally nailing it down to get a few more games on the line essentially.”