Rugby World Cup winner and former South Africa captain Joost van der Westhuizen has died aged 45. Regarded as one of the finest scrum-halves in the history of the game, Van der Westhuizen was diagnosed with the debilitating motor neurone disease in 2011.
In an international career that saw him winning 89 caps for his country (between 1993 and 2003) and scoring 38 tries, van der Westhuizen would go on to captain the Springbok for four years, including at the 1999 World Cup, before his retirement in 2003.
“Joost will be remembered as one of the greatest Springboks – not only of his generation, but of all time,” said South Africa rugby president Mark Alexander.
“He also became an inspiration and hero to many fellow sufferers of this terrible disease as well as to those unaffected. We all marvelled at his bravery, his fortitude and his uncomplaining acceptance of this terrible burden.”
Throughout his post-playing career, Van der Westhuizen was often in Dubai for punditry work for OSN’s coverage of the Rugby World Cup.