Hougaard given 50/50 chance

Derick Hougaard has been given a 50% chance of waking from his coma as he continues to battle for his life in hospital.

The former Springbok flyhalf has spent the past week in the intensive care unit of a Pretoria hospital after being found unconscious by his girlfriend, singer Nadine, on the morning of Saturday, 10 June.

In the latest update on the situation, a source told Sunday newspaper Rapport that Nadine noticed that Hougaard’s hands were blue and after she could not get him to wake up, she called an ambulance. It reportedly took an hour and a half to stabilise him.

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“He has not been awake since then and is on a ventilator because his lungs are not working properly,” the source said. “He is in the intensive care unit where only one person can visit him at a time, so it is a very difficult situation.

“It is obviously traumatic for everyone who goes to visit him to see him with so many pipes in his body and to know that he is fighting for his life.”

At this stage, only close family are allowed to visit Hougaard and doctors are giving him a 50% chance of waking up from his coma.

Friends of Hougaard told Rapport that they hope a toxicology report will be made available soon, to provide an answer over the cause of what happened.

The 40-year-old made more than 100 appearances for the Bulls in all competitions between 2002 and 2008 and is known as the “Liefling” of Loftus for playing a crucial role in a golden era for the Pretoria side.

Since retiring from rugby, Hougaard has tried his hand at a career in the NFL and took part in a celebrity boxing match with rock musician Francois van Coke. He has also reportedly been working on a documentary on his life.

This story was first published on sarugbymag.co.za. It is republished here with permission.