Cape Town — Rassie Erasmus remembers how former Bulls and Springbok flyhalf Derick Hougaard used to hang kickoffs high in the air, and he as a flanker had to field them with the storming Bulls' forwards chasing the kick.
And although Erasmus does not know the exact situation the 40-year-old finds himself in, he wished Hougaard and his family well in this time.
Hougaard has been in a coma for over a week according to reports, after suffering from illness.
Erasmus, now SA Rugby director of Rugby, played against Hougaard and coached against the Loftus Versfeld legend dubbed "Liefling" by the Bulls' fans.
"I don't know exactly the situation and don't know 100% what is going on there," Erasmus said.
"But he has been in Pretoria, and I played against him many times where I had to catch his kickoffs. That first one was always hanging on the six or seven flankers, and you had Bakkies (Botha) and those guys chasing at you.
"It was always tough (playing against a team with Hougaard). I do not know what his battle is currently. We just hope he and his family are okay, and we can only pray and send our love to them."
Meanwhile, the family of Hougaard has continued asking for prayers for their son to make a full recovery.
"Mom and Dad are holding on to our faith, we also hold each other and the tears tear our bodies. I pray that you can just wake up. You played rugby with broken fingers, cracked ribs, torn ligaments. Boeta, this final whistle has not blown yet. Dad and I love you so much — fight, my child, like only you can fight," his parents posted on social media.
Hougaard, who played in eight tests for the Springboks including the 2003 World Cup, was given a 50% chance of waking from his coma by the doctors.
IOL Sport