'I lived like a nun' - The astonishing lengths Tommy Leuluai went to during his miraculous recovery

After Wigan Warriors won their Challenge Cup semi-final, Matt Peet received a phone call from Tommy Leuluai. The veteran halfback told the Wigan boss he wanted to play in the Final.

But there was an issue. The 35-year-old was three weeks into a twelve-week rehabilitation, and the final was three weeks away. It was, to put it simply, illogical.

Or so it was to everyone barring a few key people; Peet, Leuluai and the Wigan Warriors medical department. The Kiwi holds a level of respect very few men gain. When he talks, you listen. When he said he wanted to push his body to the limit, Wigan let him do it.

What followed was a carefully designed rehabilitation programme created to cram nine weeks of recovery into 21 days. It was an intense programme that required sacrifice and discipline to even give it a chance of happening. "I lived like a nun for three weeks," was his initial observation after the Final.

But the culmination of that was Leuluai taking to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium field and helping his club win a 20th cup final. He produce a spell-binding pass on a dime for Harry Smith, who subsequently threaded a kick through that allowed Liam Marshall to score the winning try.

One of the crucial elements of the process was Leuluai's self-discipline. "I didn't touch anything, my diet was literally perfect. I didn't have any of these," pointing at the beer bottle in his right hand as he spoke to the media. But Wigan stopped at nothing to give him everything he needed too.

As part of the process, the Warriors gave Leuluai a sauna blanket, which among the benefits include muscle relief and detoxification, to use every night at home. He was provided time in a cryo chamber, which is a therapy in what your body is exposed to