Cape Town - The Samoa rugby team, also known as Manu Samoa, paid a moving tribute to terminally-ill Springboks legend Joost van der Westhuizen during a visit in Brighton in the UK on Saturday.
Manu Samoa posted on their Facebook page a video of the team singing the hymn Fa'afetai i le atua (Thank you, God, our Creator) to Van der Westhuizen, who sits in a wheelchair dressed in a Springboks hoodie.
“Totally humbling experience to meet Springboks legend Joost Van Der Westhuizen in Brighton today. This man does not let Motor Neuron Disease define him or stop him living life to the fullest. This hymn seemed right for the occasion,” the team posted on their Facebook page on Saturday.
undefinedKnown for years as the golden boy of South African rugby, the world reeled in shock in April 2011 when the news broke that Van der Westhuizen had been diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (MND). The disease attacks the central nervous system, causing progressive disability and there is no known cure.
Samoa, looking to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for a third time, got their own campaign started on Sunday with a 25-16 victory over the United States at the Brighton Community Stadium, the same venue where Japan beat twice champions South Africa.
Samoa will face South Africa on Saturday.
IOL, Reuters and ANA