Tragedy of South Africa's World Cup-winning side as fifth teammate dies

South African rugby is in mourning after it was confirmed that 1995 World Cup winner Hannes Strydom has been killed in a car crash at the age of 58.

The former Springbok lock, who won 21 caps for his country, died after being involved in an accident in Mpumalanga on Sunday night. His close friend and former teammate Kobus Wiese, who started alongside him in the second row for the iconic 1995 final, said Strydom had been travelling in a vehicle with another person when it was involved in a collision with a taxi.

Tragically, he becomes the fifth member of the history-making Boks side - who beat New Zealand 15-12 to lift the World Cup and unite a divided nation 28 years ago - to have died. Here we remember them and all they gave to the game of rugby before tragedy struck.

Ruben Kruger

Known as the 'Silent Assassin', flanker Kruger made 36 Test appearances for the Springboks and was a mainstay in the 1995 side, scoring a try in the controversial semi-final against France. He also played in 20 tour matches, scoring 14 tries, and featured at the 1999 World Cup.

Domestically, he represented the South African Schools team before enjoying several excellent seasons with Free State (now the Cheetahs) and then Northern Transvaal (now the Bulls).

After hanging up his boots in 2000, Kruger set up a camera business in Pretoria, but after blacking out during a game, he was diagnosed with a brain tumour later that year. A five hour operation saw the tumour - said to be "the size of a man's fist" - removed from his brain but it resurfaced nine years later and he died in January 2010, just two months short of his 40th birthday.

Joost van der Westhuizen

The Springboks legend represented his country at three World Cups and is well-remembered for his iconic tackle on All Blacks giant Jonah Lomu during the 1995 final.

Regarded as one of the finest scrum-halvesever, van der Westhuizen also won the Tri-Nations Cup with the Boks, as well as two Currie Cup titles with the Blue Bulls before hanging up his boots following a seven-year spell with the Bulls in Super 12. He retired having won 89 caps for South Africa, with his career try tally of 38 making him then the scrum-half with the most tries in Test Rugby.

But the former Boks captain was tragically diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2011, having initially put weakness in his left arm down to an old rugby injury. He raised awareness of his condition by setting up the J9 Foundation and died surrounded by his family in 2017, at the age of 45.

James Small

The winger made 47 Test appearances for the Springboks and notched his 20th try in his final match to become his country's leading try scorer at the time. Earning a reputation as a 'bad boy', Small also became the first South African player to ever be sent off after verbally abusing referee Ed Morrison but was praised for his defensive skills, with his marking of Lomu in the 1995 final seen as a major contributing factor to the Boks' win.

After a career which also saw him represent Transvaal, Natal (now the Sharks), Western Province and the Stormers at domestic level, Small opened a restaurant in Cape Town and went on to own several others, while he was also involved with housing renovations. Having also worked as a model during his playing days, he moved into commentating and then coaching the game, taking on a consultancy role with the Leopards in the Currie Cup.

However, he died in July 2019 after suffering a heart attack at a strip club in Johannesburg, having collapsed while drinking at the bar.

Chester Williams

The pacy wing rose to fame during the 1995 World Cup campaign having almost missed the tournament altogether through injury. After scoring four tries against Samoa in the quarter-finals, he kept his place for the final and wrote himself into history as he lifted the Webb Ellis Cup alongside his teammates as the only black player in the squad.

He won 27 Test caps for the Springboks, scoring 14 tries, becoming the first non-white player to be included in a South Africa squad since the early 1980s before bowing out of international rugby against Wales in Cardiff in 2000. Domestically, he represented Western Province and the Golden Lions before turning out for the Cats (now the Lions) in Super Rugby.

Williams moved into coaching after hanging up his boots, taking charge of South Africa 7s, Uganda and Tunisia while also enjoying spells in Romania. However, he tragically died from a heart attack in September 2019, just two months after Small.

Hannes Strydom

The 6ft 6in lock won 21 caps for South Africa between 1993 and 1997, scoring his one and only try against New Zealand in 1996. He started his senior provincial career in 1986, before moving to Northern Transvaal - now the Bulls - two years later. However, he played the bulk of his club rugby with Transvaal - now the Golden Lions - where he made 115 appearances between 1993 and 2000.

Off the field, Strydom worked as a pharmacist in Pretoria and set up pharmacy chain Pharma Valu after hanging up his boots. In 2014, he ended up in intensive care having suffered a cracked skull and stab wounds while fighting off six people during an attempted carjacking.

But after cheating death nine years ago, the 58-year-old was tragically killed in a car accident on November 19, with his former second row partner Kobus Wiese confirming the tragedy. "Yes, it is so," he told News24. "At this stage the information is very vague, but I know it happened somewhere in Mpumalanga. He and another person were in a vehicle that collided with a taxi. That's what we know at this stage."

His former club, the Lions, issued a statement after his death was confirmed, reading: “It is with great sadness to have heard of the passing of our very own Lions and Springbok legend Hannes Strydom. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this time. May his soul rest in peace."