FILE PIC. Joost van der Westhuizen crying during The Castle Rugby Championship match between South Africa and New Zealand at Soccer City Complex on October 06, 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Duif du Toit/Gallo Images)
The sight of Springbok great Joost van der Westhuizen slowly wasting away since first noticing a weakness in his right arm in late 2008 to being diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2011 has been one of the more poignantly pitiful sights in the sporting world.
The man who won a World Cup medal as an inspirational scrumhalf in South Africa’s 1995 World Cup-winning side, almost reluctantly led the Springboks to the 1999 tournament and earned 89 caps for the national team, scoring 190 Test points for this country.
READ MORE: Joost: A brilliant, flawed man who mixed loyalty with excellence
Unusually tall for a scrumhalf, his jut-jawed determination earned him international recognition for bravery on the pitch and a spot in Rugby’s Hall of Fame.
It was after his retirement in 2003 that revelations of drug taking and consorting with a stripper emerged and the man admired across the country proved to have feet of clay, costing him his commentator’s job and his marriage.
But if the image inexorably altered, no one could fault his brave face under adversity. As his physical capabilities and, ultimately, his speech ebbed away, he started the J9 foundation to provide backing for fellow sufferers.
Sadly, Joost died on Monday. His rugby genius and stoic acceptance will remain his legacy.
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