Springbok World Cup winner dies

NEWS: The fifth member of the 1995 World Cup winning Springboks has died.

Former lock Hannes Strydom has reportedly died in a car accident, as was reported by Netwerk24 on Monday morning.

According to reports Strydom, a successful pharmacist, died in a motor vehicle accident on Sunday night. He was 58 years old.

Netwerk24 reports that the accident happened on the N4 in the Witbank area in Mpumalanga.

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 was part of the Transvaal team as they scored a record 56 points in the final, a record that still stands while they managed to secure eight trophies in two years.

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He made his debut for the Springboks against France at Ellis Park on 3 July 1993, a game that the Boks narrowly lost 17-18.

Strydom has been in the news recently following claims he was selling prescription-only medication over the counter in his chain of Pharma-Value outlets, a story that was also covered by Carte Blanche in October.

Lions Rugby Company CEO, Rudolf Straeuli, confirmed the sad news and expressed his condolences, on behalf of the franchise to the family of the fallen hero. He was one of Strydom’s 1995 Springbok teammates.

"We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Hannes. 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," he said.

President of the South African Rugby Union Mark Alexander shared this statement: "Hannes was one of the great locks of his generation and as a member of the Springbok squad from 1995, one of the heroes of our local game," said Mr Alexander.

"He also played more than 100 games for the Lions at a time when they dominated the game in South Africa and won the Super 10 before it became Super Rugby, which underlined the quality of that team.

"Hannes, along with other players from that Lions team, such as Francois Pienaar, Balie Swart, Kobus Wiese, and Hennie le Roux, formed the core of the famous Bok squad that lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in South Africa in 1995.

"He was a hard-working lock who never shied away from getting stuck in and doing the dirty work. To lose yet another member of the iconic Bok squad from 1995 is a heavy blow to the rugby fraternity here in South Africa and our thoughts and condolences are with his wife, Nikolie, their children, Annalie, Hannes and Lucy, family and friends in this very difficult time."