Groves was born and brought up in Johannesburg but, aged 19, moved to join Bristol and would help England Under-20s win a Grand Slam. As part of Bristol's pre-season preparations in 2021, Groves and his team-mates underwent cardio screenings unavailable to the public without symptoms. After the tests he was informed he had a leaky valve in his heart. The 6ft 9in (2.06m) lock was told it was nothing abnormal, that one in four people have the issue, and that it would just need to be monitored.
In April 2022 Groves joined Sale Sharks, and during another similar heart screening he was told his situation had deteriorated. The view of medical experts was that he would need surgery within the next five years to stop his heart from growing to a size where it would not be able to support itself. On 5 January 2024, Groves' 23rd birthday, he was then told about the discovery of an aneurysm - an abnormal bulge in the wall of a blood vessel - that needed urgent attention.
My surgeon said I could not play because they'd found an aneurysm that they'd missed. That was purely down to the fact MRI machines aren't really built for six foot nine broad-shouldered people. My surgeon said I could not play because they'd found an aneurysm that they'd missed. That was purely down to the fact MRI machines aren't really built for six foot nine broad-shouldered people.
Groves spent the next nine months recovering and praised Sale for their part in helping him return to fitness. The South African-born forward has previously spoken about his lack of motivation during that period, external and how with different heart rhythms he was sweating and out of breath just climbing up stairs. It was a tough rehabilitation process. Sale Sharks weren't obviously familiar with the process of a patient that has to go through open heart surgery. So it was a tough thing for everyone. Groves was given the all-clear to play again in November 2024 and was loaned out to Championship side Caldy RFC. He returned to the field in late December in a Championship match against Ealing Trailfinders, 10 months after his surgery.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing