BREAKING NEWS: Rugby legend Joost van der Westhuizen dies

The J9 Foundation's Claire Kary confirmed the news.

"He passed away at his house with his loved ones around him," says Kary.

It is not without reason that former Bulls and Springbok Joost vd Westhuizen is regarded as one of the finest scrumhalves in rugby history.

In fact, he has even been classified by some pundits as one of the 'Greatest Springboks of all time.

He was fast, nippy and a very slippery customer, with an incredible eye for the smallest of gaps.

Joost engaged in many legendary battles on the rugby field and was exposed to the vast range of highs and lows that the game could throw at one both on and off the field.

But little did he know that none would be as tough as the battle he was forced to fight once the crowd noise and the adulation he had become accustomed to during his exceptional career had subsided.

This time the enemy was not a giant All Black winger called Jonah Lomu or any formidable rugby opponent he had ever encountered, but the debilitating motor neurone disease (MND) with which he was diagnosed in 2011.

Like on the rugby field Joost fought with great dignity and tiger-like tenacity and refused to give up, which were the very traits on which his remarkable rugby career were built.

He told a British sports writer on the occasion of the reunion of the Class of 95' at Ellis Park in 2015: "When something goes wrong in somebody's life they say. "Why me?" It's actually quite simple, why not? Why not me? You have a choice. Either you sit and home and deteriorate and die, or you stand up and you do what you love."

'Everybody's going to die somehow, and the moment I realised I had to find a positive. I have an opportunity to fix my life 100 per cent before I go," he added.

And that he certainly did. Confined to a wheelchair eventually and with his speech and vital functions rapidly deteriorating, rather than resign himself to the inevitable, he tackled the fatal disease head-on just like he had floored the seemingly unstoppable 'Goliath' Lomu in the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final at Ellis Park.

Joost's leadership, motivational skills and intense passion were also admired and he was fortunate to have captained the Springboks 10 times in an international career spanning 89 Tests and scored an uncharacteristically high amount of tries for a scrum half -- 38.

His 89 appearances topped the Bok pile when he bowed out of the game as a player in 2003, but has since been surpassed by centurions Victor Matfield (127), Bryan Habana (123), former captains John Smit (111) and Jean de Villiers (109) and Percy Montgomery (102). 

To this day his try-scoring tally remains the second highest behind another Springbok legend, Habana, who has crossed the whitewash 66 times.

He appeared in the green and gold in three Rugby World Cup tournaments (1995, 1999 and 2003), the most memorable being that unforgettable 15-12 triumph in 1995 over the All Blacks at Ellis Park in front of late President Nelson Mandela.

His name is forever etched in rugby folklore, having made the decisive pass from the base of the scrum which led to Joel Stransky's championship-clinching drop goal in extra time.

He was also part of coach Nic Mallett's all-conquering 1998 Tr-Nations winning side captained by Gary Teichmann.

Under Mallett, the Boks chalked up a winning streak of 17 consecutive Tests before his departure in 2000.

Throughout his 10 year top-level rugby career Joost was the epitome of loyalty. He spent his entire professional career at the Bulls/Blue Bulls and captained the famous 'Light Blues' in the then Super 12 in 2002 and 2003.

He tasted Currie Cup success twice (1998 and 2002), serving as captain of the Loftus outfit in 2002.

Joost was inducted into the prestigious International Rugby Hall of Fame (now known as World Rugby Hall of Fame) in 2007.

He campaigned vigorously around the world for MND causes and right until his last days, continued trying to raise funds through his J9 Foundation to aid research, education and the pursuit of an elusive cure.

He lived every day promoting the core objectives of his foundation, to "raise awareness both locally and internationally for Motor Neuron Disease with the intent of teaching people about the disease who will then, in turn, support efforts across the globe to find a cure or cause.

His legacy, which will stretch way beyond the game of rugby, was best summed up by Joost himself on the official J9 Facebook page - 

"Life is not measured by the amount of years lived, but by the amount of memories created" 

He is survived by his former wife Amor Vittone, children Kylie and Jordan, brother Pieter and parents Marina and Gustav.

R.I.P Joost van der Westhuizen

27 February 1971 - 6 February 2017