WP hooker survives cardiac scare
Du Plessis, who turned 20 in February, collapsed on the field during the Under-21 encounter between Province and the Leopards and he stopped breathing.
He was immediately attended to by the Western Province Under-21 medical team and, together with paramedics, he was resuscitated on the field and further stabilised in the stadium medical room by the stadium specialists.
Once stable, Du Plessis was immediately transferred by ambulance to the ICU at Vincent Pallotti Hospital. He was put in an induced coma and ventilated on Saturday night. After a steady improvement and excellent specialist care, he has come off the ventilator and is now sitting up and talking.
He still has a recovery period ahead, and the cause of his arrest remains unknown, but his steady improvement is a very positive sign for a full recovery.
Du Plessis's parents were at their son's hospital bedside on Monday afternoon – having returned from their overseas commitments at the first available flight – and they also expressed their gratitude to the medical teams in action on Saturday.
Father Bruce du Plessis said: "No parent ever wants to receive a phone call like we did in Saturday, but we cannot begin to express our gratitude to the on-field medical team of WP Rugby and anyone else involved in saving our son's life.
"Daniel is showing a steady improvement and although he has a long recovery period ahead, we are so grateful to everyone – including all the well-wishers in the rugby community, most of whom we have never even met before."
