'Very bad' leg infection led to surgery - Ewels
Bath and England lock Charlie Ewels says he feared he might lose a foot for a few hours because of a "very bad" leg infection he picked up during the winter.
Charlie Ewels has spent his whole professional career with Bath [Getty Images] England and Bath lock Charlie Ewels said a leg infection he picked up earlier in the season was so bad he was unsure for a time if it would lead to the loss of his foot. Ewels missed seven weeks of matches through December and January because of the infection, which required him to have a spell in hospital. "It was very bad, I spent the week in hospital on an IV drip and had surgery at the end to cut out all the infection," Ewels said.
"It was humbling - one day I was fine and the next day I was lying there on a ward and not really 100% knowing for about 12 hours if I was going to keep my foot or not. " Bust-ups, off-loads and ex-pats - Prem talking points Ewels returned for Bath's Prem win against Gloucester at the end of January and has played in both their recent wins against Saracens and Sale following the league's pause for the Six Nations. The 30-year-old said doctors were not able to determine what initially caused the infection.
"It was a small cut on my left ankle, probably a stud - I don't really know," Ewels said. "We tested what the bacteria was that got in there to check I was on the right antibiotics but we never found a source. "We run around outside, there's fertilizers on pitches, there's mud, there's all sorts so where and what got in we don't know.
"I was very well looked after club wise and I spent my time in an NHS hospital and I'm very grateful for the people who looked after me. " The 2025-26 campaign has been a disrupted one for Ewels, who said he has "never had a season like this". He came back to Bath following a successful summer tour with the England team, starting both Test wins in Argentina.