'A warrior and fighter, as a player and a man'

07 February 2017 - 09:12 By Craig Ray
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The lingering image of Joost van der Westhuizen is of him throwing himself at a rampaging Jonah Lomu in the 1995 World Cup final at Ellis Park and felling the behemoth. He faced up to the physical threat of Lomu with courage and single-mindedness.

STILL STANDING: Van der Westhuizen at the Springbok game against New Zealand at Ellis Park in 2014.
STILL STANDING: Van der Westhuizen at the Springbok game against New Zealand at Ellis Park in 2014.
Image: ASHLEY VLOTMAN/GALLO IMAGES
STILL STANDING: Van der Westhuizen at the Springbok game against New Zealand at Ellis Park in 2014
STILL STANDING: Van der Westhuizen at the Springbok game against New Zealand at Ellis Park in 2014
Image: ASHLEY VLOTMAN/GALLO IMAGES

He approached life in the same way after he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2011.

Van der Westhuizen did not shy from his condition and embraced the challenge of trying to find a solution while raising awareness for other sufferers through his J9 Foundation. He tackled it head on, just as he cut Lomu down.

Both men are gone but they will be remembered as much for their rugby exploits as for their courage and humility in the face of terminal illness.

Joost lost the war against motor neuron disease when he died yesterday surrounded by family and friends, but he won many battles along the way.


MY BALL: Joost van der Westhuizen tackled by John Eales of Australia at Loftus Versfeld. Picture: DAVE ROGERS/ALLSPORT

He was 45 and leaves two children, Jordan, 13, and Kylie, 10, as well as his father Gustav, mother Mariana, and brothers Pieter and Gustav.

He had been on life-support since Saturday.

Van der Westhuizen is the second player from the 1995 World Cup-winning Bok team to die. Flank Ruben Kruger died in 2010 from brain cancer.

Van der Westhuizen was diagnosed with MND - an irreversible degeneration of the nerve cells that control muscles - in 2011.


PARTNERS: Amor Vittone and Van der Westhuizen during the Pro-Am at the Nelson Mandela Invitational Picture: GALLO IMAGES

As he withered, losing the ability to speak and walk, Van der Westhuizen never lost his sense of humour or his willingness to fight the disease.

"If we don't have hope, we have nothing," Van der Westhuizen told ESPN in 2015.

As a player he redefined the scrumhalf role with his athleticism and willingness to take on defenders in narrow and wide channels and became the benchmark for halfback excellence.


GREAT MEMORIES: Joel Stransky and Van der Westhuizen on the 20th anniversary of the epic 1995 Rugby World Cup Picture: ALON SKUY

"There are so many things you can say about Joost, but the one thing that I keep coming back to is that both as a player and person he was a warrior and a fighter," former Bulls and Boks coach Heyneke Meyer said.

"Joost was a great defender, he was like an extra flank in that position and in that sense he was well ahead of his time.

"It was great to coach him. People didn't want to run in his channel because he was massively physical.


THE MOMENT: Jonah Lomu is tackled by Van der Westhuizen in the World Cup final in 1995 Picture: TERTIUS PICKARD/GALLO IMAGES

Van der Westhuizen made his name as a high-school scrumhalf in east Pretoria with the unfashionable FH Odendaal team that went all the way to the Administrator's Cup final in 1987.

In 1988 he was selected for the Northern Transvaal Craven Week team and after three years at Tukkies his rise to becoming a Test star began.

He was invited to Northern Transvaal trials in early 1992 and attended, hiding a broken left little finger, which he injured in a "koshuis" game. Van der Westhuizen lost out to future Bok teammate Johan Roux for a place in the initial squad.

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VICTORIOUS: Van der Westhuizen after the 1998 Currie Cup final between Blue Bulls (24) and Western Province (20) Picture: DUIF DU TOIT/GALLO IMAGES

But two months later he starred for Tukkies as they beat traditional rivals Maties in front of 40,000 people at Loftus. His performance earned praise from no lesser luminary than Danie Craven, and the following week Van der Westhuizen was included on the Northern Transvaal bench for a "night series" game against Transvaal. He came on as a wing late in the match.

His progress was rapid that season. He eventually ousted Roux as first-choice scrumhalf at Loftus.

Later that season Van der Westhuizen was chosen as the Junior Springboks' starting scrumhalf against the touring All Blacks.


CELEBRATION: Joost van der Westhuizen celebrates after scoring his second try during the match between South Africa (32) and New Zealand (22) at Ellis Park on August 31 1996 Picture: DUIF DU TOIT/GALLO IMAGES

His dazzling, unorthodox, attacking halfback play and rock-solid defence marked him as special and in October 1993 he was selected for the Boks against Argentina. It was the first of 89 Tests for the Boks. He scored a try on his debut and another a week later in the second Test.

Van der Westhuizen had earlier made his Bok debut against Western Australia, at the Waca in July, scoring four tries. It was the start of a decade-long, highlight-filled association with the Bok jersey in which he played 111 matches for South Africa and scored 56 tries.

Van der Westhuizen lost his starting place to rival Roux for the tour of New Zealand in 1994 after a humiliating 32-15 home loss to England earlier in the year.


FELLOW FIGHTERS: Van der Westhuizen and Tinus Linee in 2013. Linee was also a victim of motor neuron disease Picture: GALLO IMAGES

Van der Westhuizen didn't feature in the 1994 three-Test series against the All Blacks in New Zealand but was reinstated when Kitch Christie became Bok coach at the end of the year. He was back in the starting XV when Roux suffered a knee injury in the first Test in Port Elizabeth. He grabbed the chance at Ellis Park and never looked back. Roux would be second choice for the rest of their overlapping careers.

The greatest year in Bok rugby was 1995 and Van der Westhuizen was a central figure in that success.

Lomu, a wing at 1.95m and 118kg, had changed the rugby world and he seemed to be unstoppable. Inside the first 10 minutes of the final, Lomu broke the Bok defensive line but Joost stopped him in full flight with a head-on tackle.

Ellis Park erupted and Bok chests swelled. Lomu looked stunned. It was probably the moment that turned the final the way of the Boks. And it was the moment that bound the two together.

Ever the warrior, Van der Westhuizen still held the Bok starting berth at the 2003 World Cup.

His competitive streak saw off challenges from many pretenders even at the age of 33. His final Test appearance was against the All Blacks in the quarterfinal in Melbourne.

Joost won 89 Test caps and scored 38 tries, a record that wing Bryan Habana broke at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He captained the Boks 10 times.

He was nominated for the SA Player of the Year award six times but never won.

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