Family ‘Blown Away’ as Teen Rugby Player Survives Horror Collision, Father Says ‘It’s a Miracle’

• A Gqeberha family has been left shaken after a frightening moment unfolded during a school rugby match
• The teenage player is now under medical care, with his condition drawing concern and attention from both family and the wider school rugby community
• As uncertainty lingers around his recovery, an outpouring of support has brought comfort to his loved ones during an emotionally charged time

A Gqeberha family is counting its blessings after the “miraculous” survival of their teenage son following a horrific collision during a school rugby match.

The 17-year-old Matthew Els from Pearson High School was playing for the school’s first team on Saturday, 18 April 2026, when they faced Hoërskool Outeniqua. He suffered a serious injury that left him with multiple skull, jaw and facial fractures. The incident occurred when he and another player went in for the same tackle, and his teammate, Dewald Niemand, 18, accidentally struck Matthew’s face with his head.

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Speaking to George Herald, Matthew later lightened the mood with a joke from his hospital bed at St George’s Hospital in Gqeberha.

“Like a Ferrari hit by a truck,” he said, pointing to his best friend’s head.

“At first, we thought it was just a broken nose. It was a freak accident. Just two players are fully committed to a tackle. There was no foul play,” said his father, Jaco.

Rugby injury update: Teen stable after major surgery

He underwent an operation on Tuesday, 21 April, to reconstruct his eye sockets, nasal cavity and other skull fractures, which was successful.

His father said Matthew was stable and recovering and would return to the intensive care unit soon. He added that doctors had managed to complete the full procedure. Matthew was first treated at George Mediclinic before being transferred to St George’s Hospital. Despite the severity of his injuries, the family described his progress as remarkable.

Doctors confirmed that, apart from a severe concussion and skull fracture, Matthew had not sustained any brain damage, and his vision appeared to be intact.

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Family reaction: ‘We are blown away by the support’

The family said they had been overwhelmed by the support they received and described his recovery so far as nothing short of a miracle.

“We have been absolutely blown away by everyone’s support. The improvement from his initial injury to now is a true miracle,” the family shared.

The family was alerted to the seriousness of the incident by Matthew’s younger brother, Ethan, who had played for Pearson’s U16A side earlier that day. The aftermath of the injury means Matthew will be sidelined from rugby for the foreseeable future.

“Life happens, and one has to deal with it. For now, we are just grateful,” said Jaco.

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In other schoolboy rugby news, a young player from Pongola Akademie also suffered an injury during a match in KwaZulu-Natal. In an exclusive interview with Briefly News, his father, Freek, shared the emotional story of how the incident has ruled his son out of rugby for the foreseeable future.

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Affie mourns a young sports star

Briefly News previously reported that Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool, also known as Affies, a school in Lynnwood, Pretoria, is mourning the death of one of its talented schoolboys, a sports star and athlete, Ruben Bezuidenhout.

Bezuidenhout passed away this past week after a courageous battle with a brain tumour, which he was diagnosed with in December 2025.

Source: Briefly News