New Zealand yesterday saluted “extraordinary” South African rugby legend Joost van der Westhuizen, hailing his skill and leadership as an inspiration.
The former scrumhalf, a Springboks captain who won the 1995 World Cup, died on Monday aged 45 after a five-year battle with motor neurone disease, which left him frail and in a wheelchair.
Former New Zealand scrumhalf Justin Marshall said that at his peak, Van der Westhuizen was the best player in the world.
Photo: AFP
“He just had an ability, on the flip of a coin, to change a game ... a player like that was someone you could never underestimate, was always dangerous,” he told New Zealand radio. “Players like that don’t come along very often.”
Marshall said his great on-field rivalry with Van der Westhuizen developed into a close friendship off the pitch and he admired the tenacity with which he battled the disease.
Former All Blacks great Dan Carter also paid tribute.
“He was one of the few non-All Black players I adored. Such sad news!” he tweeted.
New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew said that Van der Westhuizen inspired many around the world.
“Joost had an incredible playing career and over the course of it established strong friendships with a lot of New Zealand players,” Tew said in a statement.
“We know they’ll be taking this news hard. He was an inspiration to a lot of people in South Africa and around the world both for his skill and leadership on the field and the courage with which he faced this illness,” Tew said.
Van der Westhuizen, who was at the time of his retirement in 2003 the most capped Springbok, playing 89 Tests, was instrumental in South Africa’s victory over New Zealand in the 1995 World Cup final in Johannesburg which made him a national sporting hero.
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