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Cape Town - 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok JP Pietersen has paid tribute to his late hero Chester Williams, saluting the impact Williams had on the game.
“Chester inspired all of us, and when I was a kid, he was the guy I wanted to be,” Pietersen recalls on this week’s episode of The Dan Nicholl Show, premiering on SuperSport 8 at 19:00 on Wednesday night.
“He made so many of us believe we could also play for the Springboks.”
Describing Williams as “a family friend”, Pietersen also describes how Williams was the first player mentioned by international team-mates when he joined clubs in England, France and Japan.
And with the World Cup just days away, the veteran wing also promised to be available if needed by the Springboks.
“Of course I’d make myself available - you can never say no to the Springboks,” Pietersen says, although his main focus is his time with the Sharks, having signed a contract as both player and coach.
Williams also receives fulsome praise from celebrated Cape Town entertainer Soli Philander, recent winner of the Comics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award, who together with chef and television personality Bertus Basson complete the guest line-up on this week’s show.
There are also appearances from Olympic gold medallist Cameron van der Burgh, who joins host Dan Nicholl on a visit to Laureus Sport For Good project Fight For Peace in London, and former Mrs. South Africa, who will join Makhaya Ntini, Mark Boucher and Scarra Ntubeni on this year’s African Icons Invitational charity cycle ride through the Kruger National Park.
The show, now in its 10th season, wraps up this evening with the Gwijo Squad, the new face of South African sport supporters, paying tribute to both the Springboks and Chester Williams in song.
Watch a preview of this week’s episode of The Dan Nicholl Show, presented by BrightRock, below:
