Rugby: Former Springboks star Naka Drotske shot in suspected house robbery

Naka Drotske. Photo / Getty

Former Springbok hooker and Cheetahs Super Rugby coach Naka Drotske is set to undergo an emergency operation after being shot during a suspected house robbery in Pretoria, South Africa.

Drotske, who represented the Boks in 26 tests and was a member of the 1995 World Cup winning squad, was at his brother's house in Kameeldrift when a group of five heavily armed robbers attacked their group, including former Bok teammate Os Du Randt.

Drotske, who coached the Cheetahs between 2007 and 2015, was reportedly shot three times. He had lost "almost a third of his blood" before reaching the hospital, a source told News24.

Police confirmed that Drotske is in a critical condition in Netcare Montana Hospital as a result of the attack.

Police spokesperson Kay Makhubela says a case of attempted murder and house robbery has been opened, with no arrests having been made yet.

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. pic.twitter.com/NkszdiqV0a

— Springboks (@Springboks) November 30, 2018

According to Cheetahs CEO Harold Verster, Drotske attempted to shield the group - including some women and children - from the attackers when he was shot.

"From what we hear it is stable and they think it is okay," Verster told Sport24.

"I had a chat with Os this morning. He is okay. He said it was like a war zone with shots going off everywhere ... he said it was chaos.

"We're just totally shocked and we hope that Naka will recover and that Os is okay ... they are friends and legends of the region".

Naka Drotske (left), with Os du Randt (right). Photo / Getty

Drotske is reportedly set to undergo an emergency operation. Du Randt, one of the most experienced Springboks with 80 caps, wasn't injured in the attack.