Team doctor Clement Plaatjies helped save a fellow passenger’s life after a medical emergency forced the Junior Springboks’ flight back to Johannesburg on Monday.
Also see: Junior Boks crowned back-to-back Junior World Championship victors
Junior Boks doctor comes to the rescue
The Junior Boks were travelling from OR Tambo International to Cape Town, after defending their Junior World Championship title in Georgia, when a woman collapsed aboard the aircraft over Bloemfontein.
Junior Boks coach Kevin Foote revealed that SA Rugby general manager for high performance Dave Wessels alerted Plaatjies, who immediately rushed to assist.
“A woman collapsed on the flight,” Foote was quoted by Netwerk24. “I saw Dave calling Clem, and when he got there, he resuscitated her. He literally pumped and pumped and said he wasn’t picking up a pulse.”
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Plaatjies eventually revived the passenger before the captain turned the aircraft around and returned to OR Tambo, where emergency services were waiting.
The Cape Town-bound flight was further delayed before take-off resumed later that afternoon. The Junior Boks eventually landed in Cape Town more than three hours behind schedule.
Foote’s charges became the first South African side to win back-to-back Junior World Championship titles after beating France 16-5 in Tbilisi on Saturday.
Originally published by SA Rugby Magazine.
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