Intruders stab Wallabies great Toutai Kefu

Toutai Kefu’s wife woke to find intruders in her Brisbane home, leading to a wild melee in which the couple and their children were attacked with an axe, knife and machete.

Toutai Kefu. PIC MARC ROBERTSON

Wallabies great Toutai Kefu’s wife woke in the middle of the night to find intruders in her Brisbane home, leading to a wild melee in which the couple and their children were attacked with an axe, knife and machete.

Kefu underwent emergency surgery and was in a critical condition in hospital after being stabbed in his stomach, while his wife, Rachel, suffered serious cuts to her arm in the attempted burglary early on Monday.

Police said Kefu, 47, would survive but homicide detectives were brought in because of the seriousness of the “brutal and violent” ­attack by three teenage boys.

Police have set up a crime scene outside the home of former Wallabies player Toutai Kefu. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Detective Superintendent Tony Fleming said a member of the Kefu household, understood to be Kefu’s wife, woke to noises in the house, went to investigate and was accosted by at least one youth and told they would be stabbed if they didn’t hand over keys to a car, he said.

Other family members came to the resident’s aid.

Police were called to Kefu’s home at Coorparoo in Brisbane’s southeast at 3.15am.

Kefu, Rachel, 46, and their 21-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter were all injured.

“On the version I’ve been briefed on, I can only imagine that this will have a lasting effect on that family due to the trauma of what’s happened,” Superintendent Fleming said.

“It is highly likely a burglary that has gone wrong, although I think that understates it. We do not believe that this is targeted.”

Police are seen talking to neighbours. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Messages of support were flooding in from international rugby for Tonga-born Kefu, who played 60 Tests for Australia, had 103 appearances for the Queensland Reds and is head coach of the Tongan national team.

“You got this great man!! All our love and thoughts to you and the entire Kefu family!!” the Wallabies posted on social media.

“Our thoughts are with Toutai Kefu and his family at this time. A warrior on the field and leader off it, we are pulling for you!” the All Blacks posted.

Family connections thank a neighbour, right, who held down one of the home invaders . Picture: Brad Fleet

Neighbours rushed to help and were able to tackle one of the burglars, 15, who was still armed with a knife. He was taken into custody and has been charged with four counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault causing grievous bodily harm and one count each of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, break and enter, burglary and deprivation of ­liberty.

Another youth, also 15, later turned up at hospital for treatment to injuries and was placed under police guard.

Both teenagers had been on bail with curfew conditions from previous alleged offending connected to property crime and violence. Investigators took a third youth into custody on Monday afternoon.

“I’m appalled by the injuries this family has suffered inside their own home in the middle of the night,” Superintendent Fleming said.

“All credit to all those people for coming to the aid of each other … This is brutal and ­violent and it’s just not on.”

The vehicle used by the youths to travel to Kefu’s home had been stolen from Forest Lake in southwest Brisbane earlier on Monday.

The woman who owned the car was pushed over trying to stop her car being stolen.

The offender arrested at the scene was taken to the watch-house, where he “coughed and carried on” so he was being taken to hospital to be checked for Covid-19.