Spies out of World Cup

In a massive blow to the Springboks, Pierre Spies was today ruled out of the World Cup.

The talented youngster has been diagnosed as having “clots in his lungs” (pulmonary embolism) – a complication of deep vein thrombosis.

Pulmonary embolism is the blockage of the pulmonary artery (or one of its branches), usually when a blood clot from a vein becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolises to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. This process is termed thromboembolism. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, pain in the chest during breathing, and in more severe cases collapse, circulatory instability and sudden death.

Yusuf Hassan, Springbok team doctor, stated that Spies will be out of all contact sport for at least six to eight months.

His progress is to be monitored closely as the clots could become detached, causing permanent damage to the lungs and impairing oxygen flow. The condition is highly unusual in such a young person – Spies is only 22 years old.

Springbok coach Jake White was devastated by the news.

“It’s a huge loss for the team. He is such a great player who would have played a huge role in our campaign in France.

“It would have been fascinating to see him in action with the likes of Schalk Burger at the World Cup,” said White.

Spies said he was disappointed to be missing out on the trip to France, but that he was thankful the condition had been spotted early.

“It would have been great to be in France, but I must accept that it is good that they diagnosed the problem much earlier.

“Matters could have been worse had I continued playing. I wish the team all the best in France, and am also looking forward to playing for the Springboks again in the near future,” said the talented player.