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Joost van der Westhuizen has died aged 45
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The scrum-half helped the Springboks win the World Cup in 1995
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He captained the Springboks for four years
Former South Africa captain and rugby legend Joost van der Westhuizen has died aged 45.
On Saturday Van der Westhuizen’s J9 Foundation confirmed that he was rushed to hospital in a critical condition but was thought to be ‘doing much better’ on Sunday.
Blue Bulls chief executive Barend van Graan confirmed Van der Westhuizen’s passing and sent his condolences to his children, family and friends.
“If there’s one thing we can learn from Joost it was his passion for life,” Van Graan told Sport24.
“That we will never forget.”
Van der Westhuizen, who was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease in 2011, is rated as one of the game’s finest ever scrum-halves. He represented South Africa in 89 Tests and scored 38 tries.