Evan Roos had to be treated at a hospital in Johannesburg this week after collapsing on arrival at OR Tambo International Airport from the Bok tour to Europe.
The Springbok and Stormers No 8 spoke to Netwerk24, in the wake of his health scare after returning to South Africa with the national team.
Roos suffered a broken rib in the final match of the outgoing tour against England, but played through the pain in what was just his third Test appearance.
The 22-year-old said he didn’t eat much on the flight back from London and collapsed while waiting for a connecting flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
“I started feeling dizzy when I was sitting in the living room and collapsed on the way to the bathroom. It felt as if my eyes wanted to close and I couldn’t stand up,” Roos told Netwerk24.
Roos was ambulanced to a hospital in Johannesburg and underwent a series of tests, including a consultation with a pulmonologist to make sure there was no damage to his lungs.
“At least there was nothing wrong and he said it was all right if I got on a plane. I went back to the Cape [on Tuesday] evening,” he said.
“I think the pain, exhaustion, together with me eating little and taking pain pills, had quite an effect. I think it was already too much and then my body decided it had to ‘reset’ now . Everything just came to a point.
“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. It sounds bad, but when I think back now, I haven’t been on holiday in a long time.”
Stormers head coach John Dobson confirmed during Friday’s team announcement press conference that Roos will be allowed to fully recover from his injury and will not be back before mid-January.
Photo: Twitter/@ChampionsCup
