The Bulls’ United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign suffered a setback with the news that front-row forward Simphiwe Matanzima was hospitalised recently after playing with a virus that has affected his heart.
The loosehead prop was not included in the Pretoria-based outfit’s matchday squad for Saturday’s encounter with Ulster at Loftus Versfeld.
And Bulls director of rugby Jake White revealed that the 27-year-old was taken to hospital after complaining of breathing difficulty following their URC victory over Edinburgh last weekend.
Springboks tighthead prop Wilco Louw was a late withdrawal ahead of their clash with Edinburgh and White said that Matanzima might have felt pressure to play despite his illness as he may not have wanted to disappoint his team.
White warned, however, that it was a big risk from Matanzima to take to the field when he wasn’t feeling well.
“He didn’t tell anybody, he just wanted to play,” said White. “After the game, when he was sent in by the team doctor, the heart surgeon said he must stay in hospital.
‘Heart surgeon said he must stay in hospital’
“I didn’t want to take that kind of risk and when you get a virus, it can affect your heart and, with some athletes, it affects them more than others.
“It was just to make sure that we sent him to a specialist, and I think he’s out of hospital now. He just got up in the morning and, with Wilco’s match-day withdrawal, he may have felt that him withdrawing wasn’t going to look good.
“Instead of him saying to us he’s feeling a bit down, he just went on and played, from where he said to the doctor after the game that he was struggling to breathe.
“I wish he had told the doctor because we would’ve looked after him sooner rather than later.
‘Doctor was quite disappointed that he didn’t tell him’
“When someone mentions a heart issue here, we jump, and the doctor was quite disappointed that he didn’t tell him.
“I don’t want to get melodramatic, but we’ve had prop forwards die at Loftus Versfeld because of heart attacks.
“At times, it just shows how young and naive the youngsters can be. He got a bit of a fright and he’s not playing for at least the next two weeks.
“He’s been given the care that he needs and deserves.”
