Springbok World Cup winner dies in car accident

Former World Cup-winning Springbok lock Hannes Strydom has reportedly died in a car accident.

Strydom was a member of the 1995 World Cup-winning team in South Africa.

According to various sources, Strydom, who became a successful pharmacist following his rugby career, died in a motor vehicle accident on Sunday night. He was 58 years old.

Netwerk24 reported on Monday morning the accident happened on the N4 in the Witbank area in Mpumalanga.

World Cup winners

Strydom is the fifth member of the 1995 team coached by the late Kitch Christie and captained by Francois Pienaar to have passed on.

Ruben Kruger, Joost van der Westhuizen, James Small and Chester Williams also passed on in recent years.

Strydom played 21 Tests for the Boks between 1993 and 1997 and provincially ran out for Eastern Province, Transvaal (Lions) and Northern Transvaal (Bulls). He started in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final against the All Blacks at Ellis Park alongside Kobus Wiese in the second row.

Nine years ago Strydom escaped death following a hijacking incident in Pretoria. He was also in the news recently following claims he was selling prescription-only medication over the counter in his chain of Pharma-Valu outlets.

Lions

Strydom’s former union, the Lions, said they had learnt with great sadness of the passing of former Lions and Springbok lock Hannes Strydom. The 1995 World Cup winner passed away in a car accident on Sunday evening.

“We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Hannes,” said Lions CEO Rudolf Straeuli, a 1995 World Cup-winning team-mate of Strydom’s.

“We share a tight bond as members of the 1995 group and to lose yet another one of our brothers is a big blow. Our sincere condolences go out to his family, friends and the rugby fraternity at large.”

SA Rugby also paid tribute to Strydom, calling him “one of the great locks of his generation”.