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Video: Celebrating the life of Joost

By World Rugby
Saturday 20 Feb 2021

WATCH as we pay tribute to legendary Springbok Joost van der Westhuizen on the day he would have turned 50.

Joost van der Westhuizen may have passed away in 2017, aged 45, but as the old saying goes, legends never die.

The former Springbok scrum-half earned legendary status as a member of the Springbok side that won Rugby World Cup 1995, and later through the courage, he showed in tackling the debilitating effects of Motor Neurone Disease.

The World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee would have been 50 today had the disease not cruelly cut his life short but his legacy lives on through the J9 Foundation, the charity he founded in 2012 to raise funds for and awareness of MND.

As a rugby player, he left an indelible mark on the game. At a time when rugby was blessed to have great scrum-halves like Justin Marshall and George Gregan, the 1.85m tall Van der Westhuizen stood out, and not just physically.

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