SOUTH AFRICAN MATCH Official Shaun Veldsman was assaulted in his car after officiating a Super Rugby match between the Stormers and Blues on Saturday.
Veldsman had been scheduled to serve as the Television Match Official for Ireland’s Six Nations meeting with England on Sunday, but his involvement in that game is now in doubt.
Veldsman was attacked in his car after leaving Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday, reports Netwerk24. The TMO was stabbed in his lung during the assault, after the window on the driver’s side of the car was broken.
Veldsman was reported as being in a stable condition at Stellenbosch Medi Clinic yesterday, having managed to escape his vehicle and run away. A mobile phone was stolen during the attack.
A spokesperson for the Six Nations this afternoon told The42 that no decision around Veldsman’s involvement in Sunday’s fixture between Ireland and England has been reached yet.
World Rugby is in charge of appointing match officials to Six Nations games, and as such is in the process of liaising with the South African Rugby Union to learn more about Veldsman’s current health and whether or not he will be able to travel this weekend.
The Six Nations spokesperson says World Rugby will make any new appointment for Sunday’s game should Veldsman be ruled out due to the injury he sustained during Saturday’s attack.
South African Craig Joubert is set to referee Ireland’s clash with England, while Frenchmen Jérôme Garcès and Mathieu Raynal will be the assistant referees at the Aviva Stadium.
