Joost diagnosed with muscle disease

Former Springboks captain and 1995 World Cup winner Joost van der Westhuizen is being treated for a serious motor-neuron muscle disease, his publicist said on Thursday.

Bridget van Oerle said in a statement that former South Africa scrumhalf Van der Westhuizen began immediate treatment after being diagnosed by his doctor.

“Van der Westhuizen’s doctor, Dr. (Henry) Kelbrick, who is also a close family friend, noticed that Joost was having problems with his right arm and ran a series of tests,” Van Oerle said.

“Van der Westhuizen also consulted two neurologists ... The symptoms are serious and vary from person to person.”

The 40-year-old Van der Westhuizen played 89 tests for South Africa from 1993-03 and was still his country’s joint-leading tryscorer with 38. He shares the record with current wing Bryan Habana. He is the fourth most capped Springboks player ever.

Van der Westhuizen emerged as one of the world’s best scrumhalves when South Africa won the World Cup on home soil in 1995. He captained the Boks at the 1999 tournament, where they reached the semifinals, and retired after the 2003 World Cup in Australia.

Since then he has appeared as a rugby pundit on South African television.

Van Oerle’s statement also asked for privacy for Van der Westhuizen, who featured widely in the media in South Africa for his troubled marriage to a local actress and singer, which ended last year.

“Neither he nor his family will be available for interviews,” Van Oerle said.