Rugby World Cup winner Naka Drotske hospitalized after being shot during robbery in Pretoria

Former South African international star Naka Drotske is in a critical-but-stable condition in hospital after being shot three times during a robbery in Pretoria.

Drotske, 47, won the Rugby Union World Cup with South Africa in 1995 and was with another former Springboks star, Os du Randt, when the incident occurred.

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According to reports, Drotske and du Randt and their families were attacked by three armed men in an attempted robbery at Drotske's brother's property in Kameeldrift.

Drotske's brother Tinus said Naka saved his children's lives by attacking the armed intruders.

"Naka jumped up and stormed them, and then they shot him three times, and then they luckily fled," Tinus told TimesLive.co.za.

"The children, no one else was harmed."

Drotske was reportedly shot three times during the altercation, in the right side of his chest, his stomach and his right arm.

Os du Randt © Reuters / Howard Burditt

Fortunately, Du Randt was uninjured in the incident, and rushed Drotske towards the nearest hospital. But disaster struck when his car suffered two tire blowouts while speeding towards the medical center.

Drotske's wife, Marzanne, told TimesLive that a pair of strangers helped them get to hospital to save her husband's life.

"Two guys luckily picked them up and took them to the hospital," she explained.

"They are trying to stabilize him. He lost an awful lot of blood. They will have to fix his right elbow because everything there is fractured."

Drotske underwent emergency surgery at the Netcare Montana hospital in Pretoria and his condition was eventually downgraded from critical to stable.

Drotske was a part of the historic World Cup-winning Springbok side in 1995, when the nation's rugby team helped lift the nation during an emotional summer that saw South Africa host their first major sporting event since the downfall of the apartheid regime.

Drotske featured at hooker during the Springboks' win over Samoa during that tournament, and started for the side throughout the team's 1999 World Cup campaign as they finished third in the tournament.

Overall, he won 26 caps for South Africa during a six-year international career between 1993 and 1999.

South African Rugby tweeted their well-wishes, saying: "Our thoughts are with former #Springboks Naka Drotske and Os du Randt and their families, who were the victims of a robbery near Pretoria last night.

"Naka was shot and is currently in critical condition in hospital. We wish him a speedy recovery."