Cape Town – Former Springboks flyhalf Derick Hougaard has reportedly been in a coma in a Pretoria hospital for a week, and friends and family are praying for a full recovery.
According to reports on Friday, Hougaard has inflammation of the lungs, having first felt nauseous last Friday.
The Blue Bulls legend was taken to hospital last Saturday, and then went into a coma.
Hougaard’s most recent Facebook post was last Friday, where he shared a tribute to his former Bulls teammate Pierre Spies on the latter’s 38th birthday.
Spies also had to deal with a lung issue during his playing career, when he developed blood clots on the lungs that caused him to miss out on the Springboks’ triumphant 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign in France.
Hougaard – who has twin sons Eliah and Daniel from his previous marriage to Afrikaans singer and songwriter Karlien van Jaarsveld – received messages of support on his Facebook page after the news of his hospitalisation became public, with his friends wishing him a speedy recovery.
Hailing from Piketberg in the Western Cape, Hougaard attended Boland Agricultural School (Boland Landbou) near Paarl before being snapped up by the Bulls after matriculating.
He starred in the 2002 Currie Cup final as a 19-year-old by breaking Naas Botha’s record for most points in a title decider by scoring 26 via a try, five penalties and two drop goals – a mark which still stands today.
Shaken by the news of @DerickHougaard this morning – Sending all my positive thoughts, come on Derick keep fighting bud 🙏
— Ben Kay (@BenKay5) June 17, 2023
That saw him quickly earn the nickname ‘Liefling’, as Gé Korsten’s song was played every time Hougaard scored points at Loftus Versfeld.
He made his Springbok debut as a 20-year-old during the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia against Uruguay at the Subiaco Oval in Perth, and is often part of highlights reels after he was drilled in a tackle by Samoan legend Brian Lima in that tournament.
Hougaard also played a crucial role in the Bulls’ maiden Super Rugby triumph, scoring two conversions and two penalties in the 20-19 win over the Sharks in Durban.
The last of his eight Bok Tests was against the All Blacks in Christchurch in 2007, but he missed out on selection for that year’s World Cup in France, and ended his international career with 69 Test points.
Hougaard left the Bulls to join Leicester in England in 2008, and he also later played for Saracens until 2010, but after a series of injuries, he officially retired in 2015.
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