Overview
- A female passenger collapsed over Bloemfontein on a Cape Town–bound flight on Monday and was reported to have no pulse before the team doctor intervened.
- SA Rugby high-performance manager Dave Wessels alerted team doctor Clement Plaatjies, who performed CPR and is credited with reviving the woman before the captain turned the aircraft back to OR Tambo Airport where emergency services met the flight.
- The diversion required luggage to be offloaded and delayed the plane’s arrival in Cape Town by roughly three hours, with passengers and the Junior Springboks reboarding later that day.
- The Junior Springboks were travelling home after winning the World Rugby U20 Championship in Tbilisi on July 18, where they beat France 16-5 to secure back-to-back titles.
- No official airline or hospital statement on the passenger’s longer-term condition has been published so far and the incident underscores the value of trained medical staff and quick crew coordination during in-flight emergencies.