Westhuizen
Joost van der Westhuizen is one of the greatest scrum-halves of all time.
Joost van der Westhuizen Bio
Joost van der Westhuizen was a Springboks legend who remains widely regarded as one of the greatest scrum-halves of all time. Sadly, he passed away in 2017 after a long battle with motor neuron disease. Joost van der Westhuizen was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.
Joost van der Westhuizen spent his entire domestic rugby career with the Blue Bulls. Throughout his career, he won the Currie Cup with the side on two occasions, in 1998 and 2002. In addition to his time with the Blue Bulls, Joost van der Westhuizen also represented the Bulls in Super Rugby between 1996 and 2003.
That said, Joost van der Westhuizen is best known for his international career, where he represented South Africa 89 times in test matches between 1993 and 2003. During this time, he captained the side on 10 occasions and represented his country in three Rugby World Cups. During his international career, he won the Rugby World Cup (1995) and helped the Springboks win their first Tri-Nations title (now The Rugby Championship) in 1998.
Due to the successes he experienced throughout his career, Joost van der Westhuizen was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007. Then, in 2015, he became a member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame when the International Hall was merged with it.
Sadly, in 2011, Joost van der Westhuizen was diagnosed with motor neuron disease. Over the coming years he set up a charitable organisation, the J9 Foundation, to raise awareness and funds. Unfortunately, he died of the disease in February 2017 while surrounded by his family at his home in Johannesburg.
