Joost van der Westhuizen

• Date of birth: 20 February 1971 in Pretoria
• High school: FH Odendaal, Pretoria
• Tertiary education: University of Pretoria
• Province: Blue Bulls

Family

• Parents: Gustav and Mariana
• Brothers: Pieter and Gustav
• Wife: Amor Vittone
• Children: Jordan and Kylie

Test career:

• Springbok number: 593
• Position: Scrumhalf (87 Tests) Wing (2 Tests)
• Test debut: 6 November 1993 vs Argentina in Buenos Aires
• Last test: 8 November 2003 vs New Zealand in Melbourne
• Total tests: 89
• Test tries: 38 (he became the SA record-holder on 18 July 1998 against Australia in Perth with his 21st Test try and his record was broken by Bryan Habana on 22 September 2011 with his 39th Test try, against Namibia in Albany.
• Win ratio in Tests: 60-28-1
• Tour matches: 22
• Total Springbok matches: 111
• Total Springbok tries: 56
• Honours: SA Rugby Player of the Year nominee (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 & 1999); SA Rugby Young Player of the Year nominee (1992)

References:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joost_van_der_Westhuizen
• http://www.you.co.za/news/joosts-family-strong-but-devastated-as-tr...

Joost van der Westhuizen
Full names: Joost Heystek
Date of birth: 20 Feb 1971
Place of birth: Pretoria
School: FH Odendaal
Springbok no: 593
Debut test province: Blue Bulls
Physical: 1.85m, 88.9kg
Date of death: 6 Feb 2017 (Age 45)

Test summary: Tests: 89 Tries: 38
First Test: 6 Nov 1993 Age:22 Scrumhalf against Argentina at Ferrocarril-Oeste Stadium, Buenos Aires
Last Test: 8 Nov 2003 Age:32 Scrumhalf against New Zealand at Colonial Stadium (Telstra Dome), Melbourne

Test history:
Date Age Position Opponent Result Score Venue Prov
06 Nov 1993 22 Scrumhalf Argentina Win: 29-26 1 try Ferrocarril-Oeste Stadium, Buenos Aires Blue Bulls
13 Nov 1993 22 Scrumhalf Argentina Win: 52-23 1 try Ferrocarril-Oeste Stadium, Buenos Aires Blue Bulls
04 Jun 1994 23 Scrumhalf England Lose: 15-32 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Blue Bulls
11 Jun 1994 23 Reserve England Win: 27-9 Newlands, Cape Town Blue Bulls
15 Oct 1994 23 Scrumhalf Argentina Win: 46-26 1 try Ellispark, Johannesburg Blue Bulls
19 Nov 1994 23 Scrumhalf Scotland Win: 34-10 2 tries Murrayfield, Edinburgh Blue Bulls
26 Nov 1994 23 Scrumhalf Wales Win: 20-12 Millenium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff Blue Bulls
13 Apr 1995 24 Scrumhalf Samoa Win: 60-8 Ellispark, Johannesburg Blue Bulls
25 May 1995 24 Scrumhalf Australia Win: 27-18 Newlands, Cape Town Blue Bulls
03 Jun 1995 24 Reserve Canada Win: 20-0 Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth Blue Bulls
10 Jun 1995 24 Scrumhalf Samoa Win: 42-14 Ellispark, Johannesburg Blue Bulls
17 Jun 1995 24 Scrumhalf France Win: 19-15 Kingspark, Durban Blue Bulls
24 Jun 1995 24 Scrumhalf New Zealand Win: 15-12 Ellispark, Johannesburg Blue Bulls
02 Sep 1995 24 Scrumhalf Wales Win: 40-11 Ellispark, Johannesburg Blue Bulls
12 Nov 1995 24 Scrumhalf Italy Win: 40-21 Olympic Stadium, Rome Blue Bulls
18 Nov 1995 24 Scrumhalf England Win: 24-14 1 try Twickenham, London Blue Bulls
02 Jul 1996 25 Scrumhalf Fiji Win: 43-18 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Blue Bulls
13 Jul 1996 25 Scrumhalf Australia Lose: 16-21 Sydney Football Stadium (Aussie stadium), Sydney Blue Bulls
03 Aug 1996 25 Reserve Australia Win: 25-19 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Blue Bulls
10 Aug 1996 25 Scrumhalf New Zealand Lose: 18-29 Newlands, Cape Town Blue Bulls
17 Aug 1996 25 Reserve New Zealand Lose: 19-23 Kingspark, Durban Blue Bulls
24 Aug 1996 25 Scrumhalf New Zealand Lose: 26-33 1 try Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Blue Bulls
31 Aug 1996 25 Scrumhalf New Zealand Win: 32-22 2 tries Ellispark, Johannesburg Blue Bulls
09 Nov 1996 25 Scrumhalf Argentina Win: 46-15 1 try Ferrocarril-Oeste Stadium, Buenos Aires Blue Bulls
16 Nov 1996 25 Scrumhalf Argentina Win: 44-21 Ferrocarril-Oeste Stadium, Buenos Aires Blue Bulls
30 Nov 1996 25 Scrumhalf France Win: 22-12 Stade Municipal, Bordeaux Blue Bulls
07 Dec 1996 25 Scrumhalf France Win: 13-12 Parc des Princes, Paris Blue Bulls
15 Dec 1996 25 Scrumhalf Wales Win: 37-20 3 tries Millenium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff Blue Bulls
10 Jun 1997 26 Scrumhalf Tonga Win: 74-10 1 try Newlands, Cape Town Blue Bulls
21 Jun 1997 26 Scrumhalf Britain Lose: 16-25 Newlands, Cape Town Blue Bulls
28 Jun 1997 26 Scrumhalf Britain Lose: 15-18 1 try Kingspark, Durban Blue Bulls
05 Jul 1997 26 Scrumhalf Britain Win: 35-16 1 try Ellispark, Johannesburg Blue Bulls
19 Jul 1997 26 Scrumhalf New Zealand Lose: 32-35 Ellispark, Johannesburg Blue Bulls
02 Aug 1997 26 Scrumhalf Australia Lose: 20-32 Suncorp Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane Blue Bulls
09 Aug 1997 26 Scrumhalf New Zealand Lose: 35-55 1 try Eden Park, Auckland Blue Bulls
23 Aug 1997 26 Scrumhalf Australia Win: 61-22 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Blue Bulls
08 Nov 1997 26 Scrumhalf Italy Win: 62-31 Dall'Ara Stadium, Bologna Blue Bulls
15 Nov 1997 26 Scrumhalf France Win: 36-32 Stade de Gerland, Lyon Blue Bulls
13 Jun 1998 27 Scrumhalf Ireland Win: 37-13 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Blue Bulls
20 Jun 1998 27 Scrumhalf Ireland Win: 33-0 1 try Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Blue Bulls
27 Jun 1998 27 Scrumhalf Wales Win: 96-13 1 try Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Blue Bulls
04 Jul 1998 27 Scrumhalf England Win: 18-0 1 try Newlands, Cape Town Blue Bulls
18 Jul 1998 27 Scrumhalf Australia Win: 14-13 1 try Subiaco Oval, Perth Blue Bulls
25 Jul 1998 27 Scrumhalf New Zealand Win: 13-3 Athletic Park, Wellington Blue Bulls
15 Aug 1998 27 Scrumhalf New Zealand Win: 24-23 1 try Kingspark, Durban Blue Bulls
22 Aug 1998 27 Scrumhalf Australia Win: 29-15 Ellispark, Johannesburg Blue Bulls
14 Nov 1998 27 Scrumhalf Wales Win: 28-20 1 try Wembley, London Blue Bulls
21 Nov 1998 27 Scrumhalf Scotland Win: 35-10 1 try Murrayfield, Edinburgh Blue Bulls
28 Nov 1998 27 Scrumhalf Ireland Win: 27-13 1 try Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin Blue Bulls
05 Dec 1998 27 Scrumhalf England Lose: 7-13 Twickenham, London Blue Bulls
07 Aug 1999 28 Scrumhalf (C) New Zealand Lose: 18-34 1 try Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Blue Bulls
14 Aug 1999 28 Scrumhalf (C) Australia Win: 10-9 Newlands, Cape Town Blue Bulls
03 Oct 1999 28 Scrumhalf (C) Scotland Win: 46-29 1 try Murrayfield, Edinburgh Blue Bulls
10 Oct 1999 28 Reserve Spain Win: 47-3 Murrayfield, Edinburgh Blue Bulls
15 Oct 1999 28 Scrumhalf (C) Uruguay Win: 39-3 1 try Hampden Park, Glasgow Blue Bulls
24 Oct 1999 28 Scrumhalf (C) England Win: 44-21 1 try Stade de France, Paris Blue Bulls
30 Oct 1999 28 Scrumhalf (C) Australia Lose: 21-27 Twickenham, London Blue Bulls
04 Nov 1999 28 Scrumhalf (C) New Zealand Win: 22-18 Millenium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff Blue Bulls
10 Jun 2000 29 Scrumhalf Canada Win: 51-18 Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London Blue Bulls
17 Jun 2000 29 Scrumhalf England Win: 18-13 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Blue Bulls
24 Jun 2000 29 Scrumhalf England Lose: 22-27 1 try Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Blue Bulls
08 Jul 2000 29 Reserve Australia Lose: 23-44 Colonial Stadium (Telstra Dome), Melbourne Blue Bulls
22 Jul 2000 29 Reserve New Zealand Lose: 12-25 Lancaster Park (Jade stadium), Christchurch Blue Bulls
29 Jul 2000 29 Reserve Australia Lose: 6-26 Stadium Australia, Sydney Blue Bulls
12 Nov 2000 29 Scrumhalf Argentina Win: 37-33 River Plate, Buenos Aires Blue Bulls
19 Nov 2000 29 Scrumhalf Ireland Win: 28-18 1 try Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin Blue Bulls
26 Nov 2000 29 Scrumhalf Wales Win: 23-13 1 try Millenium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff Blue Bulls
02 Dec 2000 29 Scrumhalf England Lose: 17-25 Twickenham, London Blue Bulls
16 Jun 2001 30 Scrumhalf France Lose: 23-32 Ellispark, Johannesburg Blue Bulls
23 Jun 2001 30 Scrumhalf France Win: 20-15 Kingspark, Durban Blue Bulls
30 Jun 2001 30 Reserve Italy Win: 60-14 2 tries Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth Blue Bulls
21 Jul 2001 30 Scrumhalf New Zealand Lose: 3-12 Newlands, Cape Town Blue Bulls
28 Jul 2001 30 Scrumhalf Australia Win: 20-15 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Blue Bulls
18 Aug 2001 30 Scrumhalf Australia Draw: 14-14 Subiaco Oval, Perth Blue Bulls
25 Aug 2001 30 Scrumhalf New Zealand Lose: 15-26 Eden Park, Auckland Blue Bulls
10 Nov 2001 30 Scrumhalf France Lose: 10-20 Stade de France, Paris Blue Bulls
17 Nov 2001 30 Scrumhalf Italy Win: 54-26 1 try Luigi Ferraris Stadium, Genoa Blue Bulls
24 Nov 2001 30 Scrumhalf England Lose: 9-29 Twickenham, London Blue Bulls
01 Dec 2001 30 Reserve USA Win: 43-20 Robertson Stadium, UH, Houston Blue Bulls
07 Jun 2003 32 Scrumhalf (C) Scotland Win: 29-25 Kingspark, Durban Blue Bulls
14 Jun 2003 32 Scrumhalf (C) Scotland Win: 28-19 Ellispark, Johannesburg Blue Bulls
12 Jul 2003 32 Scrumhalf Australia Win: 26-22 Newlands, Cape Town Blue Bulls
19 Jul 2003 32 Scrumhalf New Zealand Lose: 16-52 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Blue Bulls
02 Aug 2003 32 Reserve Australia Lose: 9-29 Suncorp Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane Blue Bulls
09 Aug 2003 32 Scrumhalf New Zealand Lose: 11-19 Carisbrook, Dunedin Blue Bulls
11 Oct 2003 32 Scrumhalf (C) Uruguay Win: 72-6 3 tries Subiaco Oval, Perth Blue Bulls
18 Oct 2003 32 Scrumhalf England Lose: 6-25 Subiaco Oval, Perth Blue Bulls
01 Nov 2003 32 Scrumhalf Samoa Win: 60-10 Suncorp Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane Blue Bulls
08 Nov 2003 32 Scrumhalf New Zealand Lose: 9-29 Colonial Stadium (Telstra Dome), Melbourne Blue Bulls

Joost rugby history : J9 Foundation
Joost rugby history : J9 Foundation
Joost has never wanted to do anything else than play rugby. At the age of five he first held a rugby ball and as they say in the classics, the rest was history...

His earliest memories are of rugby and a yearning desire to one day play for his country. “I wanted to be a Springbok more than anything else,” he recalls admitting that to this day misses the game that transpired him to world fame.

Throughout his school career he always played in the A sides, show casing a talent envied by many. In 1988 he played in his first Craven Week tournament before being chosen to represent the then Northern Transvaal at Under-15, Under-19 and Under-20 level.

In 1992 he was chosen to represent the senior team (the Blue Bulls) playing alongside people he had idolized since childhood.

To this day he remains an avid Blue Bull supporter who throughout his professional career never changed his club for greener pastures.

Capped 89 times for the Springboks Joost became the country’s first choice scrum-half in the mid-to-late nineties to early 2000s retiring a rugby legend with a career test try tally of 38 earning him the record of being the scrum-half with the most tries in Test Rugby.

Widely regarded for his aggressive attitude whose uncharacteristically large build for a scrum-half continued to defy the impossible, Joost was a ferocious player whose fearless defence tactics earned him the reputation of a fighter who never gave up and never backed down.

Inducted in the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007 he represented South Africa in three Rugby World Cups in 1995, 1999 and 2003. He is also the only Springbok to captain his country in both the Sevens and the 15-man games in World Cups.

Joost remains extremely proud of his sporting achievements claiming that his life as a rugby player formed the man he is today. “I believe that sport is the best educational medium in life. Through sport I learnt that when you are down, you build character and when you are up then only do you use that character.”

Having retired from professional rugby in 2003 Joost, no doubt, remains one of the most inspirational players in the history of South African rugby.
TRIBUTE: Joost … very steeliest of Springboks : Rob Houwing
Cape Town – More than Francois Pienaar, more than Joel Stransky … more even than Nelson Mandela.

I am still adamant in my belief that Joost van der Westhuizen -- and in one notable additional instance Japie Mulder -- influenced the outcome of the immortal 1995 World Cup final in South Africa’s favour above any others. (I repeat: the outcome of the final, as opposed to a stamp on the seismic, poignant Ellis Park occasion more broadly.)

The bearer of a bulldog, quintessentially competitive spirit throughout his decorated rugby career, which may even have eclipsed talent in explaining his success, Van der Westhuizen’s critically successful tackle on a rampaging Jonah Lomu early in the showpiece got confidence, arguably to the premier extent that afternoon, surging through the veins of his team-mates.

For much of the tournament to that point, Lomu had been the iconic, 20-year-old physical freak of it, a wing like none ever previously seen in rugby union for the power and explosiveness of his 120kg-plus frame at the time.

He had either trampled or rounded would-be defenders with almost contemptuous ease in the lead-up to the final, sporting seven tries from five prior matches.

Needless to say, the All Blacks tried to get Lomu into the action early on that sunny June 24 in Johannesburg, bringing him roaring through the midfield for what looked like being an unstoppable break.

Most scrumhalves would have been pinged haplessly backward, pinball-like, but the Bok No 9 was at least blessed with superior height and lean muscularity in the berth to most … not to mention an already well-developed, known spirit of no-surrender at age 24.

Lomu clatterered into an unflinching Van der Westhuizen at near full pace, having already eluded both Stransky and Pienaar, but would get no further, as the hell-bent tackler, going in low in the old-fashioned way, instantly sent out the clearest of messages: you can be stopped; you will be stopped today.

Twice more in the match, the halfback (to borrow New Zealand parlance, albeit that there was never much that seemed “half” about Joost) executed halting tackles on Lomu, once in a typically gutsy second bite at the cherry where Van der Westhuizen tracked back with intent and swivelled cleverly before grabbing the giant in the waist area and somehow bringing him to the Highveld turf.

The most demonstrative hit on Lomu that day, it is true, was the property of chunky centre Japie Mulder, who steamed in, sized the ball-carrier up and then sent him skidding over the left touchline – even doing a bit of cheeky push-and-shove “afters” on his foe for good measure.

Yet Van der Westhuizen will forever boast the best Bok tackle strike rate, as it were, on Lomu in the 1995 final … and he engineered them all, true to his make-up, despite the slight handicap of a damaged rib from the semi-final against France.

It is ironic and sad that both magnificent, standout gladiators of that tournament, 22 years ago, are no longer in the midst of rugby’s brotherhood: Lomu lost his own lengthy battle with health demons in late 2015, aged 40, whilst on Monday Van der Westhuizen, after several plucky years of pronounced bodily frailty, finally succumbed to the creeping ravages of motor neurone disease at 45.

For one so finely sculpted in physique during his playing prime, there was a certain additional discomfort to seeing him looking so skeletal and gaunt, a slowly-withering stick in a T-shirt, whenever he made public appearances in a wheelchair.

Not long before Lomu preceded him to a cruelly premature passing, the All Black made an emotion-charged, documentary-filmed trip here to mark 20 years since RWC ’95.

In Back to South Africa, Lomu visits Van der Westhuizen and they share recollections of their rugby union heydays. He says to the scrumhalf: “The most satisfying thing is that I can call you a friend … I love you, my brother.”

It is some of the most moving footage you could possibly see in sport, each man mightily aware that his hold on life was getting more and more tenuous -- and perhaps fortified, unified by that very fact.

In an automatic, statistical signal of his lofty place in the Springbok hall of fame, Joost Heystek van der Westhuizen – who played his franchise and provincial rugby all for one team, the Loftus-based Bulls – earned 89 appearances in the green and gold jersey between 1993 and 2003.

That makes him the sixth most-capped Bok of all time and most prolific scrumhalf for the country, just beating off Ruan Pienaar (88, though almost half as a substitute and some in other positions) as well as Fourie du Preez on 76.

He is also still the Boks’ second-from-top try-scorer with 38; he was a wonderful sniper around the fringes and seemed to make an art-form of dotting down tigerishly just inside the corner flag, sometimes even with an armada of tacklers on his back and side.

Van der Westhuizen also had an educated tactical boot and deft grubber when on song, and another major string to his bow was his utterly dogged defensive commitment; it certainly wasn’t limited to his Lomu-thwarting heroics in the World Cup final of 1995.

He would clatter fearlessly into locks, props or blindside flank bruisers with all the same gusto he would reserve for considerably lighter-weight backline opponents.

Like many sporting superstars, he was not entirely without fault: some said he was too obviously left-footed, and he was prone at times to irritatingly delaying service to his backline from the base of rucks while he pointed animatedly or barked instructions.

His irresistible solo tendencies would take him down counter-productive cul-de-sacs from time to time and, for the little it matters, I would place Van der Westhuizen a whisker behind Du Preez – perhaps the more rounded maestro and game manager? -- in the pantheon of modern Bok legends at No 9.

That said, he was usually pretty good at shielding rookie flyhalves outside him if peril lurked for them, albeit that in one unforgettable instance at his third and last World Cup, in 2003, he sold young Derick Hougaard right down the river with an unintended bobbling, sluggish pass that made the pivot a sitting duck for a wince-inducing tackle from Samoa’s deadly Brian “The Chiropractor” Lima.

He lost some of his lethal acceleration off the mark in his later career as the ravages of serious injury, including a cruciate knee ligament rupture, took increasing hold.

While unlikely to have been every player’s cup of tea, Van der Westhuizen was also a credible, lead-by-example Bok captain on several occasions, including at the 1999 World Cup where he guided them to third place, including triumph in the bronze playoff against the arch-rival All Blacks.

Although charismatic then-coach Nick Mallett had handed him that chore, he later confessed they seldom saw eye to eye.

“(Mallett) selected me as captain to be used as a dummy when he realised he’d made a mistake by axing Gary Teichmann … the best way to take some heat off was to select an Afrikaans-speaking captain to keep supporters happy,” Van der Westhuizen contended several years later.

I was fortunate on at least two occasions, in the time of SA Sports Illustrated magazine and its sometimes 10-page exhaustive monthly interview with a specific personality, to perform the task with Van der Westhuizen.

The now-World Rugby Hall of Fame member gave better value than most … if mainly because, if you could deftly get him fired up with your line of questioning, a certain mouthy belligerence and assertiveness enveloped him and he would sing like the proverbial canary.

There was, in his younger days, a boastfulness, a bravado and occasional, slightly faux modesty in what he would say.

If he dispensed praise to a scrumhalf rival, for example, it might be noticeably qualified, and only indicative of his inbuilt, stubborn determination not to yield personally, to anybody or anything.

You could almost see him bristle when I asked him, during a period when he was sidelined and Werner Swanepoel made excellent strides in a scrumhalf stand-in capacity, how that felt to him: “He’s good, yes. I was very happy for the kid … I didn’t even think of it, to be honest, because I know myself: I’m a fighter and I’ll get back.

“Looking at Werner’s own game, you have to say that if your forwards play like they did, you could put any player in that position and he’d perform.”

A bit of a nod … but also a reminder of precisely who Van der Westhuizen considered boss.

Not an automatic advocate of the demands and process of sports and societal transformation during the first decade or so of democracy, Van der Westhuizen was nevertheless a staunch patriot; he told me he would never “pack for Perth”, at a time when the phenomenon was popular.

“I am a boertjie … landvas, as they say in Afrikaans. You’ll never get Africa out of me.”

Inevitably and sometimes detrimentally, Van der Westhuizen was seduced by celebrity lifestyle as he and his singer wife Amor Vittone were dubbed the “Pretoria Posh and Becks” by some.

They separated, amidst well-publicised acrimony including Van der Westhuizen’s involvement – first denied, then confessed – in a seedy sex and drugs video scandal with a stripper which cost him his job as a television rugby pundit and commentator.

The discovery of his serious illness mellowed and matured the player, quickly and seemingly enormously.

Setting up the J9 Foundation, he became a dedicated, industrious crusader – despite his painfully obvious, gradual own decline in strength – for awareness and funding of MND, including auctioning off much of his treasured personal memorabilia for cash-raising purposes.

He fought the disease with all, and quite probably more, of the courage that defined his rugby days, almost certainly winning over emphatically people who might have been detractors to varying degrees in the years preceding the condition.

A rare gentleness and humanity was evident in many of his Twitter posts as his days became numbered.

In rugby and then a much less welcome battle for him, Joost van der Westhuizen was simply as tough as they come.

Joost – the eyes had it : Simnikiwe Xabanisa
Pretoria - An observation once made about Springbok legend Joost van der Westhuizen, who died at the age of 45 a few days ago, stands out for me. Someone said he had the eyes of a German U-boat captain.

Quite who said that escapes me – it could have been while the Boks were on a tour of the UK or New Zealand in the 1990s – but the point was that with Van der Westhuizen, the passion always showed in those blue-green eyes.

When motor neurone disease (MND) finally got the better of this warrior on Monday, people’s memories were of the expressive eyes that had become his only mode of communication, after illness had eaten away at his physical prowess, confined him to a wheelchair and affected his speech.

Like most of us, Van der Westhuizen was a walking contradiction.

As a 1.88m tall, 93kg scrumhalf, he cut a naturally imposing figure. The eyes played their part accordingly – they could be cold, piercing, dismissive, cutting, defiant, furious, sparkling – seductive even, when the occasion demanded. All in equal measure.

Sportswriter Edward Griffiths, who is also former chief executive of the then SA Rugby Football Union (Sarfu) and now boss of the UK rugby club Saracens, was also struck by the Van der Westhuizen gaze.

“There was always a kind of intensity about his eyes. They didn’t lie,” said Griffiths, who co-authored the book The Springbok Captains, in which Van der Westhuizen features.

“Whether it was disinterest, mischief or a sense of humour, [his look] was always so intense.”

Just how intimidating the look was shows in how people are unsure about whether the sports giant’s eyes were blue or green – presumably because nobody dared look into them long enough to find out.

Swashbuckling style

Either way, they matched the uniforms of his two beloved teams: the Blue Bulls and the Boks.

He captained the Bulls to 1998 and 2002 Currie Cup victories and played a huge part in taking the Springboks to 1995 World Cup glory.

His adoration for the Boks was such that he would use his stare to stamp his identity as the team’s unofficial custodian.

“I remember that look well,” said former Bok captain John Smit.

“When we arrived at our first camp in Plettenberg Bay, he gave that stare to gauge whether we were there for the right reasons. He was a tough bastard and made us work for his respect. And once we passed the Joost test, those eyes softened on us.”

Griffiths recalls a story encapsulating how important playing for the Springboks was to Van der Westhuizen.

In the immediate aftermath of the 1995 World Cup, Bok players were, naturally, in demand. While on a call with Maurice Lindsay, the former chair of rugby league club Wigan Athletic, the super scrumhalf let Griffiths, who was wearing his Sarfu hat at the time, listen in on the money Wigan was offering: £80 000 (R1.3 million) a year for three years for his services.

“Joost wanted me to know what his value was, but also that he wasn’t going anywhere, because he played for the Boks for the love of it.”

The most significant thing about Van der Westhuizen as a scrumhalf was how his swashbuckling style inspired hero worship, as did his gutsy, single-minded determination to overcome every obstacle.

Green jersey

Despite his hunched-over style of play, he displayed grace, balance and electric pace off the mark. However, many people felt his size and pace equipped him better to play flank or wing.

But his type of heroics demanded that he play closer to the action at scrumhalf. As Kevin Putt, a one-time rival for the Bok number nine jersey, one said: “He’s not a scrumhalf’s arse, but he is an incredible rugby player.”

Van der Westhuizen was a patron saint of lost causes, a characteristic displayed from his school days. Playing for his unheralded Hoërskool FH Odendaal in Pretoria, he led the team to the final of the Administrator’s Cup in 1987, where they lost to future Bok team-mates Japie Mulder and Chris Rossouw’s school, Hugenote.

This would be a recurring theme throughout his career as he came to lead two underdog Bulls sides to their Currie Cup titles, made the first front tackle any of us had seen on giant All Black winger Johah Lomu, and defied numerous career-threatening injuries to enjoy an 11-year playing career.

“He was a hero of mine at school. I had a poster of him in my cubicle at Pretoria Boys High,” said Smit.

“When I first played for the Springboks I don’t know what I was more excited about: meeting him or putting on that green jersey.”

Tallying up the numbers, it is clear that Van der Westhuizen made a huge contribution to the sport.

He played 89 Tests, scored 38 tries – then a record number – and won 60 of the Bok games he played.

These numbers speak of his guts and tenacity (he effectively played the 1999 World Cup on one leg); of how he revolutionised the role of scrumhalf; and of how he despised losing.

Humour

If those achievements are impressive, consider the number six – the number of years Van der Westhuizen lived with MND. He defied doctors’ predictions that he had only a year to live.

At the time of his diagnosis, Van der Westhuizen said two things encapsulated who he really was. Firstly, he said: “They gave me a year to live, f*k hulle (f*ck them)”, and then: “You go through a lot of emotions and ask, ‘Why me?’ The real question is: ‘Why not you?’”

Van der Westhuizen experienced fame and fortune, as well as trials and tribulations, all in the harsh glare of the public. Admiration for his buff physique and hard-earned success turned to jeers when he was caught in a scandal, snorting cocaine with a stripper. Soon after he came clean about that, the disease struck. That was when Van der Westhuizen’s heroism was most apparent, and his eyes most expressive.

He cut a brave, humble figure who fought against the inevitable with humour and a rare lack of self-pity.

May his soul rest in peace.

Top 50 Boks: 15 – Joost van der Westhuizen : SARugby.com
Joost van der Westhuizen is widely regarded as one of the greatest scrumhalves of all-time. He played 89 Tests, making him the fourth most capped Springbok in history, and captained South Africa on 10 occasions.

He scored 38 tries in his Test career, making him the top try-scorer in Springbok history as well as the most prolific try-scoring Test scrumhalf of all-time. He formed a Springbok record and legendary halfback combination with Henry Honiball, was an integral member of the 1995 World Cup and 1998 Tri-Nations winning squads and was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007.

At 1.88m tall and 92kg, Joost was a big scrumhalf who utilised his size and speed to great effect around the fringes of rucks. He kicked brilliantly with both feet and was a ferocious defender. His head-on tackle of giant All Black wing Jonah Lomu in the 1995 World Cup final is legendary.

He made a try-scoring debut in the Springboks’ narrow 29-26 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires on November 6, 1993 and scored another in the second Test at the same venue a week later. He scored a brace of tries against Scotland at Murrayfield in 1994 and another against New Zealand at Ellis Park in 1996.

Later that year, van der Westhuizen made history by becoming the only ever international player to score a hat-trick of tries at Cardiff Arms Park. He started in all three Tests of the 1997 British & Irish Lions series, scored a try in both the second and third Tests and earned a Tri-Nations winners’ medal the following year.

Van der Westhuizen captained South Africa for the first time against old rivals New Zealand in a Tri-Nations Test in August 1999 and led the Springboks in their World Cup campaign later that year. He went on to play in his third World Cup fours years later and scored a hat-trick of tries whilst captaining the team in the 72-6 hammering of Uruguay in the pool stages.

The disappointing 29-9 defeat to New Zealand in the quarter-finals proved to be Van der Westhuizen’s final Test.

Records/Honours:

Captained the Springboks in 10 Tests
SA Young Player of the Year nominee, 1992
SA Player of the Year nominee, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 & 1999
Member of the World Cup winning Springbok squad, 1995
Tri-Nations winner, 1998
Currie Cup winner with the Blue Bulls 1998 & 2002
Fourth most capped Springbok in history (89)
Holds the Springbok record for most Test tries (38)
Most prolific try-scoring Test scrumhalf of all-time
Holds the Springbok record with Henry Honiball for most Tests as a halfback combination (24)
Only Springbok to captain his country in both the Sevens and 15-man games in World Cups
Only international player to score a hat-trick of tries at Cardiff Arms Park, South Africa vs. Wales December 15, 1996

RIP Joost van der Westhuizen (1971-2017) : SARugby.net
February 06, 2017

The South African rugby community was in mourning on Monday following the passing of Joost van der Westhuizen, one of South Africa’s greatest-ever Springbok legends.

Van der Westhuizen passed away after a long and courageous struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neuron disease (MND), for the past six years. He was 45 and leaves behind two children, Jordan (13) and Kylie (10), as well as his father Gustav, mother Mariana, and brothers Pieter and Gustav.

“Joost will be remembered as one of the greatest Springboks – not only of his generation, but of all time,” said Mr Mark Alexander, President of SA Rugby.

“As a player, he lifted the Rugby World Cup, Tri-Nations and Currie Cup while establishing himself as one of the best scrumhalves world rugby has ever seen. He was the record holder for the most Test tries for the Springboks for more than 13 years and finished his international career with 38 Test tries.

“He also became an inspiration and hero to many fellow sufferers of this terrible disease as well as to those unaffected. We all marvelled at his bravery, his fortitude and his uncomplaining acceptance of this terrible burden.

“It’s a sad day for rugby in South Africa and across the globe as we say goodbye to a legend of the Springboks. Our condolences go to his family and friends at this sad, sad time.”

A big scrumhalf with an eye for a gap and an amazing ability to rip opposition defences apart, Van der Westhuizen was a nominee for the prestigious SA Rugby Player of the Year Award six times during his career, in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999, while he was also a Young Player of the Year nominee in 1992.

Mr Alexander said that Van der Westhuizen was without peer at a time when the top teams in the world had great scrumhalves.

“He could do things no-one else could and it was his unpredictability as a scrumhalf that dazzled opponents and gave his supporters so much reason to cheer,” said Mr Alexander.

“Joost epitomised what it meant to represent South Africa on the rugby field and always showed a remarkable fighting spirit throughout his career, but also in recent years during his illness.

“He was a hero and a role model for so many young rugby players in the early years of professionalism and he taught a generation of South Africans what it meant to be a Springbok. His passion for his country and the Boks will always stand out and he will be sadly missed.

“To lose a Springbok legend at such a young age is very sad, but his memory will never die. I salute you Joost on behalf of South African rugby.

Joost Heystek van der Westhuizen was born on 20 February 1971 in Pretoria, where he attended FH Odendaal High School and the University of Pretoria.

He made his provincial debut for the Blue Bulls in 1992 and played the first of his 89 Springbok Tests the next year, on 6 November 1993 against Argentina in Buenos Aires. His last Test was on 8 November 2003 against New Zealand in Melbourne at his third Rugby World Cup tournament.

Apart from 89 Tests, Van der Westhuizen played a further 22 tour matches for the Springboks for a total of 111 appearances in Green and Gold. He scored 56 tries in total for the Springboks, which was finally overtaken by Bryan Habana in 2014. He also captained the Boks in 10 Tests.

Van der Westhuizen also captained and played for the Springbok Sevens team at the 1997 Sevens World Cup in Hong Kong, where South Africa lost in the final to Fiji. In 1992, he played for the Junior Springboks.

He played 144 matches for the Vodacom Blue Bulls between 1992 and 2002 and captained the men from Pretoria when they won the Currie Cup in 1998, as well as in 2002, his last season in the famous light blue jersey.

At Vodacom Super Rugby level, Van der Westhuizen represented the Vodacom Bulls 28 times between 1998 and 2003 – a number which would have been much higher had he not suffered from a number of serious injuries at the time.

Van der Westhuizen was diagnosed as suffering from MND early in 2011. Despite fighting this debilitating disease, he was actively involved in charity work across South Africa and outside our borders for fellow sufferers up until his death.

Joost van der Westhuizen Fact-file

Date of birth: 20 February 1971 in Pretoria
High school: FH Odendaal, Pretoria
Tertiary education: University of Pretoria
Province: Blue Bulls
Test career:
Springbok number: 593
Position: Scrumhalf (87 Tests) Wing (2 Tests)
Test debut: 6 November 1993 vs Argentina in Buenos Aires
Last test: 8 November 2003 vs New Zealand in Melbourne
Total tests: 89
Test tries: 38 (he became the SA record-holder on 18 July 1998 against Australia in Perth with his 21st Test try and his record was broken by Bryan Habana on 22 September 2011 with his 39th Test try, against Namibia in Albany.
Win ratio in Tests: 60-28-1
Tour matches: 22
Total Springbok matches: 111
Total Springbok tries: 56
Honours: SA Rugby Player of the Year nominee (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 & 1999); SA Rugby Young Player of the Year nominee (1992).

SI Springbok TOP 100 - Joost van der Westhuizen #8 : sport24.co.za
Joost is widely regarded as one of the greatest scrumhalves of all time. He played 89 tests and captained SA on 10 occasions. He scored 38 test tries, making him the top try scorer in the Springbok history, as well as the most prolific try scoring Test scrumhalf of all time. He was an integral member of the 95 WC and the 98 Tri nations wiinning squads and was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007. At 1.88m and 95kg, Joost was a big scrumhalf who utilised his size and speed to great effect around the fringes of rucks. He kicked brilliantly with both feet and was a ferocious defender. Never one to back out of a challenge, his head on tackle of giant All Black wing Jonah Lomu in the 95 World Cup final is legendary in SA rugby folklore. The rugby world was shocked recently with the news that van der Westhuizen has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone disease.