Former Rugby World Cup winner, Hannes Strydom died in an automobile accident

former Springboks rugby World Cup winner, Hannes Strydom died in a car accident on Sunday.

Strydom was 58 years old.

The tragic event was confirmed by Strydom’s 1995 teammate Kobus Wiese on Monday morning.

The news broke on Monday morning, with Strydom’s 1995 teammate Kobus Wiese verifying the tragic story.

“Yes, it is so (Strydom’s passing) … At this stage, the information is very vague, but I know it happened somewhere in Mpumalanga. He and another person were in a vehicle that collided with a taxi. That’s what we know at this stage,” Wiese was quoted as saying by News24.

The 1.99m-tall lock played a key role in the Springboks securing their first Rugby World Cup title in 1995 on home soil.

Strydom is the fifth member of the 1995 team to pass away, following Ruben Kruger, Joost van Der Westhuizen, James Small, and Chester Williams.

Strydom, who was a critical member of the engine room of the first successful Springbok side after Apartheid, played 21 times for the Springboks between 1993 and 1997.

Strydom made his Springboks debut on July 3, 1993, against France at Ellis Park, at the age of 27. Later that year, he would play for the Springboks on tours to Australia and Argentina, cementing his spot in the team. He retired from the Springboks after appearing in the British Lions series in 1997.

From 1993 until 2000, he was a member of the Transvaal/Golden Lions, earning 115 caps during a successful stint with the Johannesburg club. In addition, the second-rower captained the Lions team that won the Currie Cup in 1999.

The Lions Rugby Company on Monday paid tribute to Strydom.

“The Lions Rugby Company has learned with great sadness the passing of former Lions and Springbok lock Hannes Strydom,” the Lions Rugby Company said in a statement.

Lions Rugby Company CEO Rudolf Straeuli confirmed the news, and expressed his condolences, on behalf of the franchise to the Strydom family.

“We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Hannes,” said Straeuli. “We share a tight bond as members of the 1995 group and to lose yet another one of our brothers is a big blow.

“Our sincere condolences go out to his family, friends and the rugby fraternity at large,” he concluded.“