‘Hello, my friend’: Heartbreaking clip of Jonah Lomu visiting Joost [video]
· The South African
A clip of the late, great rugby legends, Springbok Joost van der Westhuizen and All Black Jonah Lomu, has resurfaced ahead of the team’s first clash in the Greatest Rivalry series on Saturday, 22 August.
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The South African star died in 2017 after a painful battle with motor neurone disease, whilst the New Zealand player passed away in 2015 from a heart attack.
JONAH LOMU AND JOOST VAN DER WESTHUIZEN
In a clip that has resurfaced on social media, the late All Blacks star Jonah Lomu is seen visiting Springbok hero Joost van der Westhuizen at his Pretoria home.
“Hello, my friend”, Jonah said as he embraced his old pal, who was surrounded by his wife, Amor Vittone and their two children, Kylie and Jordan.
The video was taken in 2015 during Jonah’s world tour following the release of his book and documentary, titled The Book of Jonah L.
In the clip, Joost – confined to a wheelchair and barely able to speak due to an aggressive battle of motor neurone disease – and Jonah Lomu reminisced about their 1995 Rugby World Cup final at Ellis Park, where the Springboks beat the All Blacks 15-12.
Jonah said, “I’m just glad to see you, my friend. I couldn’t leave South Africa without coming to see you.
“It’s been 20 years since we played… everybody that played that day made a big difference to this country, and world rugby.
“I never go to tell you, but it was always a privilege to play against you. Better than that, was that you are such a gentleman and a great man, and still one of my great players”.
Joost replied: “You were the superstar”.
The Springbok praised his All Black pal for “bringing out the best in me”
Tragically, a few months later, Jonah died of a heart attack at just 40 years old. Like Joost, Jonah also battled a serious illness – nephrotic syndrome – a rare and serious kidney disease.
@vibeskonnect.nz VERY EMOTIONAL😭 They Battled on Rugby’s Biggest Stage…Now Their Legacy Lives Forever🕊️❤️Jonah X Joost #GreatestRivalry ♬ original sound – vibeskonnectnz
SPRINGBOKS AND ALL BLACKS PLAYERS GONE TOO SOON
The Springboks and All Blacks Greatest Rivalry series will kick off on Saturday, 22 August at Ellis Park, where the first of four test matches will take place.
The rugby rivals will clash for the 16th time at the venue, where South Africa beat the New Zealand team in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final over two decades ago.
Sadly, many Springbok players from South Africa’s historic 1995 Rugby World Cup win have since died.
They include:
- Joost van der Westhuizen
- Jonah Lomu
- Chester Williams
- James Small
- Ruben Kruger