Mike Tindall has recalled on BBC's Top Gear the freak injury he received against Wales in 2008 that put the World Cup winner in intensive care with wife-to-be Zara Phillips keeping a bedside vigil.
The centre collapsed in agony during their Six Nations clash at Twickenham after being tackled by Lee Byrne and landing awkwardly on the full-back's heel.
The 40-year-old former England captain appeared on BBC Two on Sunday night with wife Zara, the daughter of the Princess Royal.
And the subject of sporting injuries came up with ex-England cricket star and the show's co-host Andrew Flintoff.
"I've broken my nose eight times, and they broke it when they straightened it, so nine," 75-times capped Tindall told the programme.
"I've had a few (sporting injuries), and the best sounding one was when I landed on the back of Lee Byrne's heel, broke two of my ribs, punctured my lung and lacerated my liver."
Tindall was in intensive care for five days, saying: "Basically, anyone who has been winded knows the feeling and it was like that for 45 minutes. I was lying on the field thinking that it was a rib injury. So you hope you get your breath back quickly but it did not happen.
"I was never going to die like some headlines said. That was why they had to keep me in, in case the bleeding did not stop they would then have had to fix the tear in the liver."
The clash at Twickenham was Warren Gatland's first as coach of Wales and Byrne's try helped pull the visitors back from a 16-6 half-time deficit to chalk up a 26-19 victory en-route to the Grand Slam.
Byrne told WalesOnline at the time: “I remember a couple of loose passes and I fly-hacked the ball forwards, I then felt him land on the back of my foot, on my heel I think it was, and that must have been what did him the damage.
“I went down myself at the time and needed treatment as my leg cramped up and went into spasm, so I didn’t really see Mike, but I was conscious he had to leave the field so I knew something must be wrong.
“He’s a tough old player and when someone like him leaves the field you know there’s a good reason.
“It’s not the kind of injury you normally get on a rugby field and sounds pretty nasty.
"I didn’t really find out about the extent of his problem until much later on.
“We play a tough sport and we all know you can pick up a knock in the heat of the battle, but you would never wish an injury on a fellow player and to find out he was in intensive care was a real worry."
Tindall was rushed to Hammersmith Hospital after initially being treated in the Twickenham medical suite where the full extent of the injury was discovered.
A tear measuring one inch wide and an inch deep was found in his liver and his condition was compounded by air being released between his lungs and ribs from a hole in his lung.
It was only after doctors were certain they would not have to operate to save his liver, that he realised how close he had come to death.
