THOUSANDS of sports fans and South Africans will pay their respects to former Springbok legend Joost van der Westhuizen at a public memorial service at Loftus Versveld today. The 45-year-old died of motor neuron disease (MND) on Monday after being diagnosed with the illness in 2011.

The former Springbok captain played 89 Tests for the Springboks between 1993 and 2003 and is widely regarded as one of the game’s finest-ever scrumhalves. In the wake of his passing, the South African Rugby Legends Association (SARLA) said they would retire the number 9 jersey this year in his honour. They added the scrumhalf would have the number J9 on the back the jersey in honour of Joost’s foundation.

Ahead of the memorial, Amor Vittone has released an emotional video tribute to her late ex-husband. The video was uploaded to the Joost tribute channel on Youtube. Amor shared snaps of Joost spending time with her and their kids, Kylie and Jordan.