adminDUBLIN. — The deaths of several South African sporting stars past and present in the past fortnight have been like losing members of one’s family South Africa rugby union captain Jean de Villiers said yesterday.
De Villiers’s football counterpart Senzo Meyiwa was shot dead, former 800 metres athletics world champion Mbulaeni Mukaudzi was killed in a car crash while former South Africa hooker, skipper and selector Abie Malan died following complications after undergoing knee surgery. Former Western Province centre Tinus Linee, who played nine tour games for the Springboks without ever playing a test match, also died on Monday aged just 45 from motor neurone disease. A minute’s silence will be held as a result prior to South Africa’s one-off rugby Test match with Ireland at Lansdowne Road today.
“We don’t want to make too much of it,” de Villiers told reporters yesterday.
“But emotions will be there. None of the guys played with Abie (he was 78) but Tinus was my first centre partner (at Western Province) so I have history with the guy. — AFP
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