OWN CORRESPONDENT, Pretoria | Wednesday 11.00am.
NORTHERN Bulls skipper Schutte Bekker has been ruled out of rugby for at least six weeks after collapsing during a training session on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old loose-forward was diagnosed as having a heart condition brought on while training under the after-affects of a bout of influenza.
He was detained in intensive care after an ECG scan revealed abnormalities in his heart. Fears that he had suffered a mild heart attack were ruled out.
Coach Eugene van Wyk said: ”We had quite a hard session and afterwards he complained to the doctor of not feeling too well.
”He will be released on Wednesday but he will be out for at least six weeks.”
Bekker – who won his solitary Springbok cap against Australia in 1997 – will miss the Bulls’ last two Super 12 matches against the Auckland Blues on Saturday and New Zealand’s Chiefs a week later.
Meanwhile, Springbok coach Nick Mallett said: ”The Bulls they too can do the other South African sides a favour by beating the Auckland Blues.”
A similar improvement this weekend as that against the Canterbury Crusaders last week could net them their first win of the year, he said. — Reuters