NSW Waratahs lock Will Caldwell will spend season 2011 on the sidelines to concentrate on recovering from an illness which has hampered him for more than a year.

Caldwell, who with 76 appearances is the most-capped second rower in NSW rugby history, was struck down with Crohn's disease following the South African leg of the 2009 Super 14.

The illness stripped more than 20kg from the second rower's frame and he failed to return to the field in 2009.

Caldwell worked hard to regain his strength during the off-season and returned in round one of this year's Super 14 against Queensland.

The following week he passed Tom Bowman as the most-capped NSW lock in Super rugby history with his 54th tournament appearance.

Caldwell went on to play nine matches this season but has never fully been able to overcome the illness which has hindered his career for the past year.

"It's been an extremely frustrating 18 months to say the least," said Caldwell.

"Personally, 2009 was probably the best season I'd had in professional rugby and everything was moving in the right direction.

"The Crohn's really knocked me around. I couldn't do much at all, let alone play footy but I just kept working with the medical staff on trying to manage the symptoms and do the best I could.

"On top of that, I had a bit of trouble with a hamstring in the pre-season so I couldn't play the trials but it was good to be back for round one.

"I believe we've stayed on top of it as much as we could, but it's become pretty clear in the past few months that trying to battle Crohn's and couple it with being a professional footballer isn't ideal."

Waratahs coach Chris Hickey said the loss of Caldwell for 2011 was a blow to the squad.

"Will is a big part of the organisation both on and off the field so he's certainly going to be missed next season," Hickey said.

"What's most important for Will is to get on top of his health and worry about rugby after that."

Caldwell doesn't believe his rugby career is over.

"Far from it," he said.

"But this isn't like an injury where there's a defined period of time you know it will take before you're back on the park.

"The best chance I have to get back to where I was at the start of 2009 is by stepping away from the game for a while, and hopefully I'll be able to come back bigger and better."

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