NATIONAL NEWS - South African rugby legend Joost van der Westhuizen died in Johannesburg at the age of 45 today.
TIMELINE:
- Born‚ February‚ 20‚ 1971.
- 1977 – starts primary school at Laerskool Derdepoort.
- July 12‚ 1980 – attends first Springbok Test at Loftus when Boks lost 13-17 British & Irish Lions.
- 1983‚ starts High School at FH Odendaal‚ excels at athletics and rugby.
- 1987‚ influential in guiding FH Odendaal to its first Administrators Cup final. They lose 18-14 to Hugenote from Springs. Hugenote contain future Springboks Japie Mulder and Chris Rossouw. With Van der Westhuizen there are three future 1995 World Cup winners in the match.
- 1989-92‚ plays for Tukkies.
– March 1992‚ makes provincial debut for Northern Transvaal against Transvaal in a ‘Night Series’ friendly.
- April 1992‚ first-class debut for Northern Transvaal against Eastern Transvaal.
- May 1992‚ makes Currie Cup debut against Transvaal.
- August 1992‚ plays for Junior Springboks against the touring All Blacks.
- April 1993‚ represents Bok sevens at the World Cup in Edinburgh.
- May 1993‚ makes Super 10 debut for Northern Transvaal -June/July 1993‚ unused substitute for the Springboks in both Tests against the touring French.
- July 1993‚ makes Bok debut against Western Australia in Perth‚ scoring four tries.
- October 1993‚ makes Test debut against Argentina and scores a try.
- June 1995‚ influential as Boks win World Cup on home soil.
- November 1995‚ marries first wife‚ Marlene Terblanche.
- 1997/98 Boks win 17 Tests in a row‚ Joost plays in 14 of those matches.
- 1998‚ wins first Currie Cup with the Blue Bulls.
- 1999‚ becomes Bok captain and leads them to the World Cup.
- October 2002‚ captain’s Blue Bulls to Currie Cup title.
- October 2002‚ marries singer Amor Vittone.
- 2003‚ plays in his third World Cup before retiring.
-2009‚ video emerges of a man having sex with a woman in film‚ there are claims it’s Joost. He denies these claims.
- 2009‚ Joost admits he was the man in the video.
- 2011‚ diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND).
- 2012‚ divorced from Amor Vittone.
- 2015‚ inducted in Rugby Hall of Fame.
- 2017‚ Dies age 45.
