Sam Warburton. Pic: NZPA

Five years ago Sam Warburton thought he was dead when held up at knifepoint in Paraguay. Now he is in South Africa hoping to watch the All Whites extract revenge of some kind, DAWN TRATT reports for NZPA,

Wellington, June 21 NZPA - All Whites fan Sam Warburton, in South Africa with his brother and 80 other Yellow Fever supporters at the Fifa World Cup, learned never to travel alone after he was hogtied and kidnapped in South America four years ago.

"If it wasn't for the poorly-tied leg binds, the front door lock catch, and the neighbour's dog all playing their part, I'd probably be dead now," Warburton told NZPA.

Returning home from work in Paraguay at 2am, the Wellingtonian was surprised by a man who jumped from the roof and held a knife to his throat.

"He put his hand over my mouth and told me in Spanish to 'get on the ground'."

His tormentor forced his way into the house, tied up his hands and legs with electric cable, gagged him with his own Argentina football jersey "making it near impossible to breathe", and blindfolded him with a sheet.

As the burglar ransacked his home for the next hour, stealing a TV, stereo, Playstation2, digital camera, cellphone, iPod, jewellery, shoes, a suitcase, credit card, and about $NZ250 in local currency, Warburton lay in the foetal position on the floor "strangely calm [with] no loss of control of bodily functions".

The burglar carried Warburton to his room, then left with the spoils. While he was alone, Warburton worked his way loose, and escaped out the window just as the burglar returned to finish the job.

Warburton hid behind a tree as the burglar discovered the door was now locked, then fled as the neighbour's dog set up a racket. He escaped through a park to his work, where he phoned the police.

"Turns out the builders in the construction site next door set it all up," he said.

"I've learned to never travel alone again."

Warburton was not worried something similar would happen in South Africa, despite its high crime rate.

"You only have to be faster than the slowest gazelle. And at the World Cup, the slowest gazelles are loud, overweight, and very intoxicated England fans."

Warburton was disappointed New Zealand were drawn to play Paraguay in the preliminary round because he would have preferred to see them battle an African or European team they had never played before.

He was very confident New Zealand could beat Paraguay in Polokwane, and qualify for the second round.

"I'm hoping to get tickets to the inevitable New Zealand v the Netherlands second round match," he said.

"Guay? They peaked in qualification, but have only gone on to beat Greece, draw with the Ivory Coast, and lose to Qatar and to Ireland -- Ireland! That's guay," he joked.

Paraguay drew with Italy first up in South Africa, then beat Slovakia 2-0. A draw with the All Whites would see them into the second round.

Alongside a convoy of Yellow Fever Wellington Phoenix fans, Warburton will look the part in his All Whites and White Noise shirts, and "lovely white 80s suit".

He has also packed shirts of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

He has attended New Zealand v Australia games, the World Cup qualifier against Bahrain in Wellington, the under-17 women's World Cup, and New Zealand's stunning 1-0 under-23 victory over Chile.

"Until the Bahrain game, the most memorable was a 2006 World Cup qualifier between Paraguay and Colombia in Paraguay, due to rioting among fans.

"Not Colombian and Paraguayan fans, but between fans of two Paraguayan clubs. I expect to see a similar reaction when the final whistle sounds during the New Zealand-Paraguay game!"