Joost van der Westhuizen
THE world of international rugby was last night mourning the passing of South African World Cup-winning scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen, who died yesterday aged 45, having been diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2011.
Regarded as one of the finest scrum-halves in history, he won 89 caps for the Springboks in a 10-year international career from 1993, scoring 38 tries.
He also captained the Springboks and his time at the helm included the 1999 World Cup. But the crowning glory came in 1995 when, on home soil, he helped South Africa become world champions when they beat the New Zealand All Blacks in an emotional and dramatic final.
He retired in 2003 but among his 38 international touchdowns came two against Scotland at Murrayfield in 1994, with one try in particular that former Scotland and British & Irish Lions forward Doddie Weir remembers fondly today, although less so at the time.
“Obviously, I’m sad at the news of his passing,” said Weir.
“At Murrayfield on Saturday, ex-players from Scotland and Ireland were all giving their recollections of Joost as a player. Everyone considered him one of the best.
“I suppose, indirectly – although some would say entirely directly – that Joost van der Westhuizen was responsible for what might be described as a career-changing moment for me at Murrayfield in 1994.
“I’d been picked at No.8 against the Boks. From a scrum on our own 22, about 10 metres in, he decided to pick and go up the blindside and I just didn’t get near him.
“I’ll always claim our flanker Dave McIvor should have been watching him. He also scored another try that day when he ran right through a ruck, simply, unstoppable on his day.
“The upshot was I never played at eight again – but had a better career in the second-row. I did thank Joost the last time we met.
“That was in 2014, when he was on tour around Europe to heighten awareness of motor neurone disease.
“His eyes were every bit as piercing as when he played, but he was using a wheelchair. It was sad and very emotional to see him then, compared to the man we’d faced. But he continued to be an inspiration to the end, as he was as a player.”
And Weir says that van der Westhuizen will always be rated among the very best. “He was a big guy; tall, 6ft plus, wide shoulders, he had a real presence. For those who didn’t see him at his peak, think Mike Phillips of Wales – only a bit better.
“Joost had such a presence, in terms of his physicality. In fact, he almost played like a third wing-forward at times, either tackling or at the breakdown. He’d just get stuck in and do whatever it took.
“As a scrum-half, he had everything you’d expect from an international No.9, with good vision and dexterity, and a fast, flat pass.
“But there was much more to him than that. Where in Scotland, we had wee, terrier-like guys at scrum-half, who would be nippy around the fringes of scrums and rucks, and snipe low to the ground, van der Westhuizen was like a lion when he decided to pick up and go.
“He backed himself and was happy to take his chances, head-to-head against defenders, either in strength, or in outright speed. He was quick off the mark and even quicker once he got going. Van der Westhuizen had everything.”