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Top 50 Boks: Joost van der Westhuizen
Friday, January 08
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Our latest set of feature articles outlines the Top 50 Springboks to don the Green and Gold since re-admission.
Some great players have represented South Africa in the past 17 years and we've decided to take a trip down memory lane and remember and list the SARugby.com 50 Greatest Springboks since re-admission.
Contribution to the Springboks, Test caps, tries and the sheer skill and brilliance of the players were considered as a panel of journalists worked out our list of honour.
Over the short rugby off-season, we will be working our way backwards from player number 50 towards our best Springbok player since re-admission.
Join us as we work our way through the list and let us know where you agree, or disagree, with our selections.
15 – Joost van der Westhuizen
Joost van der Westhuizen is widely regarded as one of the greatest scrumhalves of all-time. He played 89 Tests, making him the fourth most capped Springbok in history, and captained South Africa on 10 occasions.
He scored 38 tries in his Test career, making him the top try-scorer in Springbok history as well as the most prolific try-scoring Test scrumhalf of all-time. He formed a Springbok record and legendary halfback combination with Henry Honiball, was an integral member of the 1995 World Cup and 1998 Tri-Nations winning squads and was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007.
At 1.88m tall and 92kg, Joost was a big scrumhalf who utilised his size and speed to great effect around the fringes of rucks. He kicked brilliantly with both feet and was a ferocious defender. His head-on tackle of giant All Black wing Jonah Lomu in the 1995 World Cup final is legendary.
He made a try-scoring debut in the Springboks’ narrow 29-26 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires on November 6, 1993 and scored another in the second Test at the same venue a week later. He scored a brace of tries against Scotland at Murrayfield in 1994 and another against New Zealand at Ellis Park in 1996.
Later that year, van der Westhuizen made history by becoming the only ever international player to score a hat-trick of tries at Cardiff Arms Park. He started in all three Tests of the 1997 British & Irish Lions series, scored a try in both the second and third Tests and earned a Tri-Nations winners’ medal the following year.
Van der Westhuizen captained South Africa for the first time against old rivals New Zealand in a Tri-Nations Test in August 1999 and led the Springboks in their World Cup campaign later that year. He went on to play in his third World Cup fours years later and scored a hat-trick of tries whilst captaining the team in the 72-6 hammering of Uruguay in the pool stages.
The disappointing 29-9 defeat to New Zealand in the quarter-finals proved to be Van der Westhuizen’s final Test.
Full Name: Joost Heystek
Surname: Van der Westhuizen
Position: Scrumhalf
Height: 1.88m
Weight: 92kg
Date of Birth: 20 February 1971
Place of Birth: Pretoria
School: FH Odendaal
Provincial Debut: Northern Transvaal (Blue Bulls)
Tests: 89
Points: 190
Tries: 38
Test Debut: 6 November 1993 vs. Argentina in Buenos Aires aged 22
Last Test: 8 November 2003 vs. New Zealand in Melbourne aged 32
Records/Honours: Captained the Springboks in 10 Tests; SA Young Player of the Year nominee, 1992; SA Player of the Year nominee, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 & 1999; Member of the World Cup winning Springbok squad, 1995; Tri-Nations winner, 1998; Currie Cup winner with the Blue Bulls 1998 & 2002; Fourth most capped Springbok in history (89); Holds the Springbok record for most Test tries (38); Most prolific try-scoring Test scrumhalf of all-time; Holds the Springbok record with Henry Honiball for most Tests as a halfback combination (24); Only Springbok to captain his country in both the Sevens and 15-man games in World Cups; Only international player to score a hat-trick of tries at Cardiff Arms Park, South Africa vs. Wales December 15, 1996
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Reckon FDP is a better all-round scrummie but based on their records, there should be little doubt that Joost should have a higher ranking than him in this. Also, he should be top 10 easily... 38 tries, 89 caps, THAT tackle on Joost, a Bok captain, a WC winner, Tri-Nations winner, WR holder, CC winner... what more do you expect from him.
And this coming from a WP supporter!
Please?
I also feel his accomplishments to date are higher than Fourie's and currently he should rank above Fourie then again it is just that obvious Fourie will have plenty accolades to his name in the near future and suparse Joost then again lol you could argue he all ready has...
and Ja, AGAIN! please could you guys put up the list so far somewhere, we really need to know who's where to judge them on the people they're above.
Pass - FdP 9; Joost 6
Defense - FdP 8; Joost 10
Running - FdP 7; Joost 10
Kicking - FdP 9; Joost 5
Game reading / options - FdP 9; Joost 6
1 Os du Randt
2 John Smit
3 Danie Gerber
4 Victor Matfield
5 Francois Pienaar
6 Mark Andrews
7 Percy Montgomery
8 Andre Venter
9 Gary Teichmann
10 Andre Joubert
11 Bakkies Botha
12 Schalk Burger
13 Bryan Habana
14 Fourie Du Preez
15 Joost
Little doubt that with the effluxion of time, we have forgotten how good Joost was and that he should be higher than some of those still playing and on the list ahead of him! Naas should be top 10 easily as well. Also, this will mean that Corne Krige does not make top 50! Bizarre... played in a bad era but not his fault... should be ahead of players like De Beer, Terblanche and co... what a terribly disappointing list!
The first is underneath the homepage article, which reads The SARugby.com 50 Greatest Springboks since re-admission list, and the second is the box directly below the latest news section titled Top 50 Boks.
Furthermore, please note as it states in the introduction of each inductee, that a panel consisting of our journalists and freelance contributors to the site compiled the list.
Thanks,
Quintin van Jaarsveld
He should be atleast 5th!!! He would walk into any international any time and place!