Springbok Legend Joggie Jansen Dies at 78 Hours After Springboks Beat All Blacks

• Joggie Jansen, a Springbok inside centre who earned 10 Test caps between 1970 and 1972, passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 78
• Jansen was born in Griekwastad on 5 February 1948 and made his international debut against the All Blacks at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria
• His death came just hours after the Springboks defeated New Zealand at the Cape Town Stadium

Springbok inside centre Joggie Jansen died on Sunday morning at the age of 78, just hours after the Springboks defeated the All Blacks at the Cape Town Stadium.

Jansen, born Joachim Scholtz Jansen in Griekwastad on 5 February 1948, represented South Africa in 10 Test matches between 1970 and 1972. He attended Hoërskool Griekwastad alongside his brother Eben, and the two remain the only Springboks the Northern Cape school has produced.

The tackle that defined a career

Jansen made his international debut on 25 July 1970 against New Zealand at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, facing a side widely regarded as one of the most formidable All Blacks teams of the era. With the match in the balance, he delivered a precisely timed tackle on All Black wing Wayne Cottrell that halted a promising blind-side attack and helped shift momentum decisively in South Africa's favour. The Springboks won 17-6.

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That moment became the defining image of his career, though it told only part of the story.

As seen in the Facebook post below.

A complete Springbok performer

Jansen crossed for his only Test try in his second appearance, against New Zealand at Newlands on 8 August 1970, despite South Africa narrowly losing that match 9-8. The Springboks recovered to claim the series, winning 14-3 in Port Elizabeth and completing a dramatic 20-17 victory at Ellis Park.

In 1971, Jansen toured Australia as part of the Springbok squad and started all three Tests against the Wallabies. South Africa completed a clean sweep, winning 19-11 in Sydney, 14-6 in Brisbane, and 18-6 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. That same year, he featured in a two-Test series against France, with South Africa winning the first match 22-9 in Bloemfontein before the second ended 8-8 in Durban.

His final Test appearance came on 3 June 1972, when South Africa lost 18-9 to England at Ellis Park. His international career concluded with 10 caps and one try.

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Jansen was later ranked 82nd in the South African Rugby Top 100, a testament to the impact he made during a competitive chapter of Springbok history. His passing follows the death of Piet du Plessis, a stalwart of Western Province and Northern Transvaal rugby.

Rugby legend dies after cardiac arrest

Briefly News also reported that a rugby legend passed away at the age of 68, a few days after suffering cardiac arrest.

The rugby icon was unable to recover despite medical efforts to revive him after the cardiac arrest incident.

Source: Briefly News