Former Cheetahs head coach in intensive care after being shot three times in robbery

Former Cheetahs head coach Naka Drotske is said to have lost up to a third of his body’s blood after being the victim of an attempted robbery in Pretoria.

The World Cup-winning Springboks hooker remains in intensive care following emergency surgery and was revealed by Cheetahs chief executive Harold Verster to be in a ‘stable’ condition having initially been declared as ‘critical’ upon arrival.

From what we hear he is stable and they think it is OK,” Verster told reporters.

‘What I do know is that numerous robbers entered the house while they were busy eating and sprayed them with pepper spray.

‘A fight ensued and it went out onto the veranda or lawn, and when one of them drew a firearm to fend them off, Naka was shot. After that, they ran away.’

Ex-Cheetahs scrum coach and prop legend Os du Randt was also present as four armed men attempted to rob the pair on Thursday evening. Verster confirmed he had spoken to the veteran of 80 caps for South Africa, who escaped without harm and described the scene as a ‘war zone’.

Verster added: “I had a chat with Os this morning. He is okay. He said it was like a war zone with shots going off everywhere. He said it was chaos.

“We’re just totally shocked and we hope that Naka will recover and that Os is OK. They are friends and legends of the region”.

Drotske is set to undergo further surgery to his arm, while police said they have not made any arrests as yet.

The 26-time capped South Africa hooker coached the Cheetahs in Super Rugby and the Currie Cup from 2007 until his resignation in 2015.

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Tagged Cheetahs, Naka Drotske, Os du Randt, South Africa, Springboks