Joost honoured with Loftus memorial
Springbok hero’s high school, former teammate Williams honour memory
WITH the nation paying its last respects to one of the country’s best sportsmen, Joost van der Westhuizen, his alma mater Hoërskool FH Odendaal in Pretoria held its memorial service yesterday.
Van der Westhuizen died on Monday at the age of 45 after a six-year battle with motor neurone disease.
Principal Danie Brummer said FH Odendaal had a service for the pupils and some of the former teachers who taught the ex-Springbok captain.
Brummer said one of Van der Westhuizen’s teachers and coach said he was an excellent pupil, very energetic, always up for a challenge, very athletic and participated in different sporting codes.
The pupils spoke about how Van der Westhuizen was a role model, he added. “He gave our pupils hope that anything is possible because we are not coming from a rich area,” Brummer said. The school’s rugby first team lit a candle in his memory.
Van der Westhuizen, who had 89 Test caps and scored 38 international tries for the Boks, played as a scrumhalf.
He made his international debut in 1993, won the Rugby World Cup in 1995, before he hung up his boots in 2003.
World Cup-winning teammate Chester Williams said Van der Westhuizen was very competitive and wanted to win at all costs.
“As captain, he led by example from the way he played, and he would inspire all of us to perform,” Williams said.
He had a lot of great memories of his former captain. “Apart from the tackle in the (1995) final against Jonah Lomu, the pass he made to Joel Stransky for the winning points is one of my favourites,” Williams added.
He said Van der Westhuizen was ahead of his time because scrumhalves are known to be short, but he was quite tall.
Off the field, Williams said Van der Westhuizen was a fun guy who always got other players into trouble, and picked on everybody.
“He would put alcohol in players’ drinks without them knowing,” he recalled. “We played together for 10 years, we will miss him. Condolences to his family.” Williams said he wouldn’t be able to make the funeral, but his heart was with the family and the mourners.
Rugby writer Simnikiwe Xabanisa recalled Van der Westhuizen as being a rather private person off the field.
“His fight with the (motor neurone) illness is the biggest fight he’s had, more than the ones on the field, and he had a lot of fights on the field like the tackle he made against Lomu and having to fight injuries and that is what I admire about him,” Xabanisa said.
Fellow rugby correspondent Kevin McCallum said Van der Westhuizen was a very focused and intense person, but he had a great sense of humour.
‘HE LED BY EXAMPLE FROM THE WAY HE PLAYED, AND HE WOULD INSPIRE ALL OF US TO PERFORM’