’95 RWC Winner Hannes Strydom dies in vehicle accident

Springbok and 1995 Rugby World Cup winner Hannes Strydom died after his car collided with a minibus taxi to the north-east Johannesburg. South African Rugby president Mark Alexander said yesterday that the crash that claimed the life of the 58-year-old pharmacist occurred on Sunday near the coal-mining town of eMalahleni, 140 kilometres from the South African economic capital.

Strydom won 21 caps for South Africa between 1993 and 1997 and played all of his club rugby in South Africa.

The highlight of his international career was helping South Africa defeat New Zealand 15-12 after extra time in the 1995 World Cup final in Johannesburg.

He is the fifth player from the 1995 team to have died after flanker Ruben Kruger, scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen, and wingers Chester Williams and James Small.