(Reuters) – Rugby World Cup winner and Tonga coach Toutai Kefu said on Wednesday he and his children are out of hospital after they suffered serious injuries in a violent attack by intruders at their Brisbane home.
The 47-year-old, who played 60 tests for the Wallabies, was rushed to hospital with his wife and two of his children on Monday.
Kefu said his wife Rachel remains in hospital after an operation for serious cuts to her arm but is expected to be released on Thursday. The couple’s son Josh and daughter Madi were also harmed in the attack and treated in hospital.
“Wow. Humbling to see the outpouring of love and well wishes from family, friends, community members and the general public. We are all doing well,” Kefu wrote on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/toutai.kefu/posts/10158146840151587.
“Josh, Madi & myself are out of hospital and we’re hoping Rach will be able to join us tomorrow. We just want to say thank you for everyone’s support we feel very lucky and grateful.”
On Tuesday, Kefu’s daughter Olivia said her father and Josh were recovering well after surgery.
Kefu was stabbed and suffered abdominal injuries during the home invasion, which police believed was a burglary gone wrong. His wife and children suffered cuts and lacerations in the attack.
Police arrested two teenage boys in connection with the incident and are searching for a third suspect who absconded in a stolen car.
Number eight Kefu was a mainstay of the Wallabies pack during the later part of Australian rugby’s golden era, helping his adopted country win the 1999 World Cup and hold onto the Bledisloe Cup for five successive years.
He coached Tonga at the 2019 Rugby World Cup and was reappointed to the job earlier this year.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
