Statement: Rassie Erasmus hospitalised following return to South Africa
12/02/2024 02:11 PM
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has opened up about his decision to undergo surgery after South Africa's triumphant return home from their Autumn Nations Series campaign in Europe.
Erasmus, who had a shoulder replacement, revealed the intense pain he had been experiencing but shared some good news—his recovery is well underway.
"I really like to train and run with the players," Erasmus told Rapport from his hospital bed in Johannesburg. "It's an old rugby injury."
The story first surfaced last week when Rapport reported that the World Cup-winning coach was preparing for the procedure. On Wednesday, Erasmus confirmed the operation himself in a voice note shared on X (formerly Twitter). However, he kept the reason for the surgery under wraps until now.
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"I wanted to thank the fans for the amazing support this year," Erasmus said in his post. "Even when we tried some things and things weren't going well, you were always standing behind us.
"I'm having a shoulder operation here, I'm not going to show the pictures because I don't think it's worth showing. All OK, I think I will be out of the hospital by the weekend."
It looks like the head coach isn't just leading his team to recovery after a grueling year—he's focused on his own rehabilitation too.
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