RIP Joost van der Westhuizen

Passed away on Saturday, one of the all time great no9s to play the game and a fighter and gentleman to the end.

The word legend is spouted about willy nilly these days.

But Joost was definitely a legitimate one! RIP...what a player !

That is sad news - I heard he was in hospital. RIP one of the all time greatest no.9's

45 years old. What can you say?

Real shame.

A sad, sad, loss. One of if not the best scrum half of his generation.

Rest in peace Joost. rest in peace.

He had a hard old battle and I mean of the mind - you could see it in his eyes whenever I saw him on video. What a terrible affliction for anyone to be placed in such a prison and he certainly suffered through his time.

He's at peace now.

Terrible disease. One of my favourite players ever (top 5). Best scrum half of all time IMO. RIP.

So sad to see physical specimens reduced to this, ala Ali.
Fantastic player who scored 38 tries!
RIP>

Absolute great player. Such a shame that he is gone but his suffering is at least at an end now!

Best wishes to his family and I hope they look back on the life Joost had before this debilitating condition.

Dreadfully sad news, if not unexpected. A true great of the game.

RIP Joost

RIP - One of the great scrum halves of all time.

His tackle on Jonah Lomu was one of the iconic moments of the 1995 RWC, how sad that they both are gone now.

Cant really add anything to that already said...

RIP...

It is indeed extremely sad Fantastic player & a true legend of the game. Surely he's now in the upstairs team of world-beaters with big Jonah. RIP

At least 3 dead from that final now….life really is too short. Young super fit men and 20 years on 3 of them dead.

There was a time in the 90's when I thought he was the best player in the world.
Flint sharp eyes.

One of the games greats.

kingelderfield wrote:There was a time in the 90's when I thought he was the best player in the world.
Flint sharp eyes.

He probably was.

Watched a documentary that said at least 5 SA players have versions of the disease which JVW indicated has been tentatively linked to blue algae?

Really sad news.

That last post is very sad too.

ALS is one of the real sh!t diseases on this planet. It slowly eats away at its victims, debilitating them physically and is virtual torture for the mind and soul. It let's its victims know life will be cut short and will become increasingly worse.

I am always amazed and so incredibly proud of each and every victim who fights the fight every day to show they will not give in to ALS. Joost was one of those and proved once again true courage comes when one is alone with his fate knowing they cannot win, but yet, still refuse to lose.

One of the greatest scrum-halves I've seen. Very sad to hear.