Derick Hougaard showing further improvements in hospital: 'He wants to stand up'

More than two weeks since he was rushed to hospital in Pretoria, fighting for his life, former Springbok flyhalf Derick Hougaard continues to show improvements on his road to recovery. 

That was the good news from his partner, singer Nádine, this weekend. 

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Nádine confirmed that Hougaard's infection count continues to drop, that his ventilator support is decreasing and that his lungs were "getting stronger".

"He wants to speak, he wants to stand up," she wrote. 

"We look forward to hearing his voice again."

On Friday, it was confirmed that Hougaard had woken up after almost two weeks in a coma, but he was not able to speak as he still had tubes in his throat. 

The exact cause of Hougaard's sudden hospitalisation is still not known, but he is understood to have been battling pneumonia since his arrival at Steve Biko.