57 days later Thomson cleared to leave hospital

Cape Town - Former All Blacks and Highlanders forward Adam Thomson is out of hospital and has been cleared to fly home to New Zealand, after overcoming a spinal infection.

According to the Stuff website, the 29-cap international spent 57 days in a Tokyo hospital after suffering from lumbar discitis, a painful infection of the spine.

But Thomson, 35, who moved to Japan after signing for NEC Rockets, is finally on the mend and is expected to return to New Zealand later this month, according to the Otago Daily Times. He thanked his supporters on his Instagram page.

"57 days in hospital. 1 week of parole. Doctor just clears you to fly home.. Feels good man! Thank you to everyone that supported me on this road to recovery. Whether you were part of the awesome video over Christmas, made the journey to visit, picked up the phone, or just left a comment on social media. I appreciate you," he said.

Thomson played for the All Blacks at the 2011 Rugby World Cup and has played almost a century of Super Rugby matches for the Highlanders (68), Reds (15) and Rebels (13).

57 days in hospital. 1 week of parole. Doctor just clears you to fly home.. Feels good man! ??????? Thank you to everyone that supported me on this road to recovery. Whether you were part of the awesome video over Christmas, made the journey to visit, picked up the phone, or just left a comment on social media. I appreciate you ????

A post shared by Adam Thomson (@adamjohnthomson) on Feb 15, 2018 at 10:28pm PST