Joost’s Top 10

Rugby writer recalls memorable Tests lit up by the Springbok legend

The 22-year-old scored a try just 11 minutes into his debut Test in Buenos Aires. He was anything but an accomplished scrumhalf but coach Ian McIntosh had described him as “rough and ready” for international rugby. The Boks struggled to a 29-26 win and young Joost’s try was decisive in the outcome. He would add 37 more tries to that first score. The Boks beat the Scots 34-10 at Murrayfield, with Joost scoring two brilliant tries out of the team’s five. One was a blind-side burst just before half-time, the second a side-stepping jink through half of the opposition for a score under the crossbar. final, inspiring his team with a legendary tackle on the sensation of the tournament, Jonah Lomu. Joost was huge in the 15-12 win, and Joel Stransky will beg to differ with the criticism that the scrumhalf had a suspect pass after he received a perfect delivery for his match-winning drop goal. Joost regarded his finest try as the one he scored at Twickenham on the Boks’ end-of-year tour. He darted blind-side and chipped over advancing wing Rory Underwood, gathered and scored. It was a fine solo effort in a 24-14 victory. Few Springboks could tolerate losing more than Joost. He was mortified when a week before this Test the Boks had lost their first ever homes series to New Zealand, and at his home ground, Loftus Versfeld. Joost refused to accept a whitewash and scored two tries to inspire the Boks to a face-saving 32-22 win in the “redundant” third Test at Ellis Park. farewell to the ground with a 13-3 win in which the halfback pairing of Joost and Henry Honiball outmuscled their opposition. Joost played a skilful part in the match-winning try that saw him feed a lateral ball to Honiball, who gave an inside pass to Pieter Rossouw for a famous try and victory. Coach Nick Mallett had shocked South African rugby by dropping Gary Teichmann (in favour of Bob Skinstad at No 8). He turned to Joost to lead the side at the World Cup. On August 7, the Boks got walloped by the All Blacks in Pretoria. They desperately needed a morale-boosting win in their final game before the World Cup later that year, and at Newlands Joost was Captain Courageous as the Boks scrapped to a 10-9 win over the Wallabies (who later won the World Cup). The Boks tackled their way to victory in atrocious conditions and spearheading the defensive effort was a captain covered in mud from head to foot.