Rugby player Archie Griffin targets autumn internationals return after heart diagnosis

Welsh international and Bath Rugby prop, Archie Griffin, originally from Sydney, is expected to be available for the upcoming autumn internationals, notwithstanding a recent diagnosis of a heart condition. He has previously represented Wales in three international matches. The 23-year-old has been sidelined since September 20, when he experienced discomfort after appearing as a replacement in Bath’s initial Premiership fixture against Northampton. Bath Rugby had previously attributed his absence for several weeks to illness. Griffin has since received a diagnosis of pericarditis, which involves inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart. Griffin shared his experience with Mail Online, stating, “It did come out of nowhere.” He described the onset of symptoms: “It was scary I woke up on the Monday and it felt like someone was stood on my chest, it was that tight.” He clarified that his performance during the game was unaffected: “It didn’t impact my fitness, my breathing, or how hard I was able to run in the game. “It just felt like a massive pain in my chest.” Expressing his distress, he added, “It was horrible. I almost wish like I’d done another sort of injury or that I’d done something wrong. But this has just come out of nowhere.” He concluded, “There are no usual causes for it. It’s just unlucky, I guess. But these things happen and you’ve just got to keep moving.” Despite having played only 28 minutes of club rugby for Bath during the 2024-25 season, Archie Griffin has participated in full training with Wales this week. Following his diagnosis, Griffin was initially instructed to observe complete rest for two weeks. Subsequently, he received clearance to resume full training with Bath, as his condition is not considered permanent. “At the time, I obviously didn’t know what it was,” Griffin recounted. He continued, “After the game, I had lots of check-ups and found out what had happened. I had to take lots of medication.” Describing his recovery process, he stated, “I had two weeks off exercise, apart from walking my dog, before slowly getting back into full training.” He emphasized the need for ongoing vigilance: “I’ve got to keep an eye on it. Symptom-wise, it’s something I’ll monitor. It’s a bit like concussion. “I’ll report any symptoms to the physios and I’m not going to lie about it because it’s my heart. You can’t take any risks.” Warren Gatland has selected Griffin for Wales’ 35-man squad for the autumn internationals, where they are scheduled to face Fiji, Australia, and South Africa. This week, Griffin joined the Welsh camp, alongside fellow tight-head props Keiron Assiratti and Henry Thomas. He expressed his ambition to play in the initial match against Fiji, set for November 10 in Cardiff. Griffin, who made a strong impression during his starts in Wales’ two Test losses to Australia last summer, conveyed his gratitude at being able to return to play. “It’s made it more clear to me now that all I want to do is play rugby,” Griffin stated. He added, “Not being able to do anything for two weeks shows you not to take it for granted.”