15 000 mourners expected at Joost memorial

Cape Town - Up to 15 000 people are expected to attend the memorial service of former Springbok scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen on Friday, the IOL.co.za website estimates.

LIVE: Joost van der Westhuizen funeral

Van der Westhuizen, 45, passed away on Monday after losing a long battle with motor neuron disease (MND).

The memorial service will take place at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, the home ground of Van der Westhuizen’s beloved Blue Bulls.

Van der Westhuizen, a former Springbok captain, played 89 Tests between 1993 and 2003.

He scored a then-Springbok record 38 tries and is widely regarded as one of the game’s finest-ever scrumhalves.

The funeral will be broadcast live on SuperSport 1 from 12:00 on Friday.