Cape Town - Former Springbok lock Hannes Strydom says he fought back after six men tried to hijack his vehicle in Pretoria on Monday.
Strydom, 49, was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Little Company of Mary hospital in Groenkloof after surviving the attempted hijacking.
The incident occurred in Aries street in Pretoria’s Waterkloof Ridge suburb.
According to Strydom's wife, Nikolie, the skull around his left eye socket was fractured after one of the hijackers threw a "rock".
But the former Springbok and Golden Lions star has since recovered and was moved out of ICU on Tuesday afternoon.
Strydom, nowadays a pharmacist, spoke to Netwerk24, recalling the events.
"It was around 15:00. I was on my way to one of my pharmacies in Irene when I saw three men standing in front of me in the street. One indicated for me to stop. I thought something was wrong so I slowed down. The next moment a massive rock flew through the window on the passenger side. The second one hit me on the left side of the head."
Strydom then got out of his car, before the hijackers took his keys and attacked him further. However, they retreated when the former Springbok fought back.
"I screamed loudly: 'God help me, God help me!' Then they got bewildered and ran away."
During the scuffle, one of the robbers stabbed him in the shoulder blade with either a knife or screwdriver. The robbers took off with Strydom's car keys before he called a friend, Riaan van Zyl, who brought the spare keys. Strydom then drove himself to hospital.
Strydom played his provincial rugby for the Golden Lions, while he was also a member of the victorious Springbok team that won the 1995 Rugby World Cup final against the All Blacks at Ellis Park.
He played 21 Tests for the Springboks between 1993 and 1997.