For a man who doesn’t show emotion easily, I was pushed to tears watching the Joost van der Westhuizen memorial on Friday.
That’s until Francois Pienaar’s speech and PJ Powers butchering the beloved World in Union a bit later.
Still, what a way to say goodbye to a true legend of South African rugby.
Like Joost, the memorial had a lot of ups and downs.
From Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula only clapping hands during the one-minute standing ovation when the TV cameras were on him, to Joost’s niece, Sumari Botha I believe, driving me to tears with a song she wrote for the former No.9 while he was battling with MND.
The words went something like this: “Play one last glory game, not for the money, fun or fame, but for those who love you and those who adore you...”
She continued: “You’ve run up on many a field, that was not all in vain – it will help carry us through the pain...”
When she was done and in tears, while hugging her uncle Pieter, floodgates had opened in my living room.
Pieter, as many of you might not know, is Joost’s brother who put his own life on hold for the last two years to take care of the former Bok No.9, I learnt.
Pieter's love for his brother was clearly visible during the memorial service, I just think that maybe he should have spoken in Afrikaans.
When I first caught sight of Joost’s coffin, I thought they should have done a bit better with it. It was too plain.
Pieter cleared up the issue of the coffin later, saying Joost, having come from humble beginnings, wanted to exit the world as he entered it and chose his own coffin. I was humbled.
He also made me Google the poem The Man in the Glass, which was a favourite of theirs. And it is good.
Then it was the turn of Ampie.
Pretoria guys are different. Ampie is the guy that released a song with cricketer AB de Villiers. If it’s the same Ampie.
So my hopes weren’t high at all.
But his song Saamstaan was definitely in a different class to PJ Powers’ 2017 version of World in Union.
I was pleasantly surprised by him and also a band called Touch of Class that performed.
The column wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention Gavin Varejes.
“Gavin who?” you ask.
He’s the guy that some of us only got to know through the death of Joost.
Varejes was a dear friend of Joost and was also the first person he told about his sickness.
As for the SAPS, they also did a fine job with their band’s rendition of Amazing Grace.
It was a fitting farewell to a great sportsman as the Loftus faithful cheered Joost one more time while his body was being carried out of the tunnel for the last time ever.
RIP you legend!