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An amateur rugby player suffered a horrific knee injury where the joint was 'ripped open' minutes into a game and had to be driven to the changing rooms in the boot of a car .

Ryan Crandon couldn't walk after a clash with an opposition player in the opening exchanges of Risca Athletic's WRU Conference Tier One clash at the Moorland Road ground.

The 23-year-old second row was playing for Risca at Bargoed on the weekend when he sustained the x-rated wound, reports WalesOnline .

Although they look grisly these are in fact the cleaned up images of the original injury.

(Image: WalesOnline/ WS)

(Image: WalesOnline/ WS)

Ryan spent the best part of two days in the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, for an injury that came within the opening few minutes of the match.

He said: "I carried from a lineout close to the Bargoed line and ran into one of their players.

"He went flying that bad his boot got caught into the side of my knee and ripped all of it open.

"I could see all the flesh hanging out and I thought there were bones coming out as well.

"When I stood up the knee opened up even more.

"The picture I tweeted out was a tidied up version of the injury.

"After taking an X-ray the doctors thought they could see a piece of metal on the scan deep into my knee. It turned out to be a piece of calcium that was growing by itself in the knee, so they took that growth away.

"I know I have a lot of stitches in the knee, both internal and external which will come out in 10 days time."

(Image: WalesOnline/ WS)

Ryan is desperate to be fit to play in June as Risca are playing a charity match on their Stores Field ground that means more than most to the player.

Ryan and brother Tom, also a lock, who has represented Wales under 18s as well as Cross Keys, lost their mother to Motor Neurone Disease four years ago.

And the J9 team, set up in honour of Springboks legend Joost van der Westhuizen's foundation will be sending a side to play Risca and raise funds for a local youngster.

(Image: WalesOnline/ WS)

"This year there's a little lad from the area who has a child's version of MND so we're doing a game on June 2 for him at Risca RFC so I'm trying to get fit for that game to give this lad the best living we can," said Ryan.

Ryan was driven off the pitch by the home coach Gareth McCarthy following his terrible injury.

"He's a credit to Bargoed," Ryan said.

"He got some random person to open the boot of their car up and he didn't leave my side until my father turned up to take me to hospital.

"To be fair to Gareth he's been texting me finding out how I am and I can't praise him enough."