On Monday, South African Rugby confirmed the passing of former Springbok lock Hannes Strydom in a car accident. Strydom, 58, played 21 Tests between 1993 and 1997 and was a pharmacist by trade. He was known for his hard work on the field and never shied away from getting stuck in the dirty work.
Strydom started the 1995 Rugby World Cup final where South Africa famously defeated New Zealand 15-12 to win the title. The loss of yet another member of the iconic Bok squad from 1995 has been described as a “heavy blow” to the rugby fraternity in South Africa by SA Rugby president Mark Alexander.
The Springboks claimed a record fourth World Cup title when beating New Zealand 12-11 in the final of the 2023 tournament in France in October. Kitch Christie, who coached the team to their title win, passed away from cancer in 1998, as did flanker Ruben Kruger in 2010. Scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen succumbed to motor neurone disease in 2017, and wings Chester Williams and James Small suffered fatal heart attacks within two months of each other in 2019.
