The rugby world said goodbye this Sunday to Hannes Strydomformer Springbok player who was part of the South African team that won the world champion in 1995 against the All Blacks, died in a traffic accident 140 kilometers northeast of Johannesburg.
“Hannes was one of the greatest second lines of his generation, and as a member of the 1995 Springbok team, one of our heroes“said Mark Alexander, president of South Africa Rugby.
Hannes Strydom, 58, was a pharmacist by profession and played 21 games between 1993 and 1997 for the Springboks. He was a starter in the legendary 1995 finalwhere South Africa defeated New Zealand 15-12 to take the first of the four world championships he currently holds. A triumph that inspired the film Invictus, based on John Carlin’s book ‘The Human Factor’.
The curse that haunts the 1995 South African team
The Hannes Strydom’s death is already the fifth of that South African team that touched glory in the 1995 World Cup. Ruben Kruger (2010), Joost van der Westhuizen (2017), Chester Williams (2019) and James Small (2019) are the other members of that team who have died to date. Furthermore, the coach Kitch Christie He died at the age of 58 in 1998 from cancer.
“Losing another member of the iconic 1995 Bok team is a huge blow to the rugby fraternity here in South Africa and our thoughts and condolences are with his wife, Nikolie, children, Annalie, Hannes and Lucy, family and friends at this time. very difficult,” he acknowledged. Mark Alexander.
Source: Antena3
