South Africa were rocked on Friday by the news of the sudden death of Springbok icon Chester Williams.
The Black Pearl, as he was known, breathed his last breath after reportedly suffering a heart attack at the age of 49.
And the news brought South Africa to a standstill in honouring the 1995 World Cup hero.
Not only did Williams, who was the only player of colour in the 1995 squad, bring hope where there once was none in the 27 Tests he played for the national team, but he continued to do good through rugby.
At the time of his death, Williams, who scored 14 tries in the Green and Gold, was the head coach of the University of the Western Cape.
He was busy off the pitch also and launched his own beer “Chester’s IPA” at the end of last month.
WINNER: Williams led UWC to the 2018 Varsity Cup Shield. Picture: Jeffrey Abrahams/UWC.
The Western Province hero still had plans to promote the beer at the World Cup in Japan, tweeting on September 5: “Good Morning I’m going to be in Japan for the beginning of the RWC not only watch rugby most importantly to promote Chester’s IPA Beer. “I will keep you posted with both Rugby and The Chester’s IPA Beer.”
His death came as a shock to every single South African – especially those who remember the smile with which he tackled the game of rugby.
Rest in peace, a true legend of our game.
SPRINGBOK LEGEND: Chester Williams (left), Rassie Erasmus (centre) and Werner Swanepoel.Photo: Etienne Rothbart.
Tributes have streamed in on social media from all over the world in honour the rugby icon and saw #RIPCHESSI trend:
Not you too Chester? How can we forget the symbolic role you played with the team in winning us the historic 1995 Rugby World Cup. Your impact both on and off the field in forging unity amongst all South Africans remains your greatest legacy. Siyabonga. Sithi ndlelanhle. pic.twitter.com/nEu8pYqq7W
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 #StaySafe (@CyrilRamaphosa) September 6, 2019
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPChester?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="font-size: 12pt;">#RIPChester pic.twitter.com/JDUkphFL9p— South African Government (@GovernmentZA)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChesterWilliams?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="font-size: 12pt;">#ChesterWilliams. May his soul rest in eternal peace. pic.twitter.com/PBf0n2DL0i— Uganda Rugby Union 🇺🇬 (@Uganda_Rugby)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/ArtsCultureSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="font-size: 12pt;">@ArtsCultureSAI convey my sincerest condolences to Maria, his children, family, the community of Paarl where this hero hails from; the @Springboks and the Rugby fraternity as a whole; and fans in SA & throughout the world. #RIPChester🇿🇦— Min. Nathi Mthethwa (@NathiMthethwaSA)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/Springboks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="font-size: 12pt;">@Springboksgreat Chester Williams. A true legend on and off the pitch! pic.twitter.com/c6nXHNcp2y— World Rugby (@WorldRugby)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPCHESSI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="font-size: 12pt;">#RIPCHESSI pic.twitter.com/4eCegVUfuj— Breyton Paulse (@BreytonPaulse)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPChessie?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="font-size: 12pt;">#RIPChessie pic.twitter.com/7OzkyYl4Vs— Bryan Habana (@BryanHabana)
dudley.carstens@inl.co.za