NEWS
Springbok Joggie Viljoen dies aged 78
Mark Alexander, the President of SA Rugby, paid tribute to former Springbok scrumhalf and a former star player of Griqualand West Joachim Frederick “Joggie” Viljoen, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 78 following a short illness.
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Viljoen, who was born on 14 May 1945 in Cape Town, played six Tests for the Springboks between 1971 and 1972, scoring two tries, and he was a member of the Griquas team that famously won the Currie Cup in 1970. He also played for Eastern Province.
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Viljoen and his son Roelof, also a scrumhalf who shared his father’s nickname of “Joggie”, is one of only a handful of pairs of fathers and sons who both donned the green and gold, although Joggie junior never played in a Test for South Africa.
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“Joggie had the unenviable task of taking over at scrumhalf from the great Dawie de Villiers and he did so with aplomb, playing a critical role in the Boks’ clean sweep over the Wallabies on their tour in Australia in 1971,” said Alexander.
“By then, he had established himself as a legend in the Northern Cape as a member of the Griquas team that shocked the Bulls in the Currie Cup final of 1970, and his national call-up after that was expected and well-deserved.
“Away from the rugby field, Joggie was a wonderful person and always willing to assist those in need. Despite his heroics for Griquas and the Springboks, he lived his life away from the limelight in Nelson Mandela Bay.
“Whenever a member of the South African rugby family dies, we lose a little bit of our legacy, but we also know that they have laid a foundation for future generations to build on.
“He will be sorely missed, and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Dorothy, their children, grand-children and great-grand-children, as well as all their family and friends in this sad time.”
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