Ruben Kruger, former Free State, Blue Bulls and Springbok flanker, passed away in Pretoria on Wednesday night after a protracted battle with brain cancer.
Kruger, a 1995 Rugby World Cup winner, would have turned 40 on March 30.
He was diagnosed with a brain tumour soon after his playing career ended in 1999. Kruger had fought back from a broken leg suffered in a Tri-Nations match in 1996 to earn selection to the 1999 World Cup squad and fought his recurring illness with typical bravery and stoicism.
Nicknamed the "Silent Assassin" by coach Kitch Christie during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, he scored a controversial try in the semi-final played in a deluge against France in Durban but was denied what appeared to be a certain try by referee Ed Morrison in the Ellis Park final.
Considered the kingpin of the side, he was named SA Rugby Player of the Year for 1995.
Kruger, who hailed from Vrede in the Free State and went to Grey College, is survived by his wife Lize and two daughters Zoe and Bella.
Kruger made his debut for the Springboks against Argentina in 1993 and went on to play 36 test matches for South Africa, scoring seven tries. At provincial level he was a stalwart of both Free State and the Blue Bulls.
Kruger had battled the brain tumour since 2000, where he blacked out during a game and it was diagnosed.
After the initial operation to remove the tumour seemed to be a success, Kruger found a few years later that the tumour had resurfaced, but battled on against it with a strength that was a hallmark of his playing days.
He was in the news again early in 2009, when he had to be airlifted from Bloemfontein after feeling ill while returning with his family from holiday in Herolds Bay.
A massive five-hour operation followed, where doctors said they had removed "90 per cent" of the tumour in the operation.
The tumour was described "as the size of a man's fist". Sadly for Kruger, the tumour was too sensitively placed to completely remove, and it resurfaced in June 2009 when he blacked out while driving and was involved in a car accident.
This past week Kruger began feeling unwell again and was admitted to hospital, where family and friends waited until the end.
He leaves behind his wife, Lize, and his daughters Zoe and Isabella.
