Former Springbok captain Dawie de Villiers dies

Legendary former Springbok captain Dawie de Villiers has died at the age of 81.

According to Netwerk24, De Villiers died at his house in Stellenbosch on Saturday night. 

In a statement, De Villiers' family that his health had deteriorated over the past months. "Dawie has been systematically deteriorating over the last few months, but we were privileged to be able to provide our home with the assistance of professional help at home," the statement said. 

Dawie 'De Viljee', as the legendary late radio commentator Gerhard Viviers used to call him, was the dominant scrumhalf in South Africa during the 1960s.

He played 25 Tests for the Springboks between 1962 and 1970.

In his final Test, De Villiers captained the Springboks to a 20-17 win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park - a result that secured a famous 3-1 series win.

At 1.71m and 73kg, De Villiers was no giant but was the stereotypical scrumhalf with a great pass, pace, agility and an eye for a gap.

At provincial level, De Villiers played for Boland, Western Province and Transvaal (now Lions).

He was also an ordained minister in the Dutch Reformed Church and a renowned politician.

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