On the eve of the 2023 World Cup, Theuns Stofberg, one of the great Springbok flanks and Bok captains, passed away on Wednesday morning.

The 68-year-old suffered multiple injuries in a car crash involving two other cars near Stellenbosch on Monday night on the R304.

Staphanus Rabie, Stofberg's son-in-law, confirmed the news of the former Springbok flanker's passing in a statement on Wednesday morning.

"Emergency services were able to cut Theuns out of the vehicle and transported him in critical condition to a private hospital, where he was treated in an intensive care unit.

"However, his many injuries were too severe for his body to recover and he passed away early Wednesday morning," said Rabie.

Stofberg played 21 Tests for the Springboks between 1976 and 1984, captaining them in four, including against England in 1984.

In a tweet Rob Louw, himself a great loose forward said Stofberg was arguably the greatest number seven flank of the 80s.

"He was a special player, ahead of his time. Morne du Plessis and I used to get together with him for a pizza and just to talk about the good times," he said.

"RIP my pal."

Du Plessis, Louw and Stofberg were a formidable Springbok back row in the 80s.

Stofberg played for Free State, Northern Transvaal and Western Province and still holds the distinction of being the only player to win the Currie Cup with three different unions.

Compiled by staff writer