adminJOHANNESBURG. – South African rugby legend and World Cup winner Joost van der Westhuizen, who died yesterday aged 45, will be remembered as one of the greatest scrum-halves of all time.Many former internationals rate the Springbok stand-out second only to former Welsh great Gareth Edwards among international scrum-half superstars.
His duels with fellow scrum-halves George Gregan of Australia and Justin Marshall of New Zealand two decades ago captivated spectators and worldwide TV audiences.
“He will always be remembered as an incredible rugby player,” Gregan said during a dinner in honour of Van der Westhuizen.
Marshall also attended the function and said: “Joost was a magic player. When on song, he could win a game almost single-handedly.”
Van der Westhuizen lost a long battle against motor neurone disease, the incurable nervous-system condition, after being rushed to hospital on Saturday.
South Africans cherish memories of the finest moment in a success-filled career when he set up the Joel Stransky drop goal which won the 1995 Rugby World Cup for the Springboks.
Watched by then state president Nelson Mandela at the Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg, Van der Westhuizen delivered a long pinpoint pass from the base of the scrum as the clock ticked down in extra time.
Stransky calmly kicked the goal to give South Africa a 15-12 win over the Jonah Lomu-inspired New Zealand All Blacks to become world champions for the first time.
When the Springboks gathered in 2015 at Ellis Park to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the World Cup triumph, Van der Westhuizen attended in a wheelchair.
Van der Westhuizen was also part of the Springboks team that finished third when defending the world title in England four years later.
His Test career ended on a low note in 2003 when a South African team beset by pre-World Cup problems lost heavily to New Zealand in the quarter-finals. – AFP.
Online Reporter