Family, friends, current and former Boks all gathered together this week to say their farewells to former Rugby World Cup star Ruben Kruger. Kruger died last week because of brain cancer, a condition he had struggled with for the last few years.
Touching tributes were paid to him by both his wife, Lize, and his children Zoe and Isabella.
Lize Kruger said that, "My heart is broken and I wish I could have had you by my side for eternity. Ruben, thank you for everything you did and meant to me and the children. We are so proud of you, not because you are a Springbok rugby player, but because you are a Springbok daddy."
Zoe and Isabella also managed to speak and thanked Kruger for being their daddy. "We love you so much. We wish that we could have prevented you from dying, but we know that you are in heaven and are not sick anymore. Thank you for playing with us; you always had time for us and carried us both in your big hands. We saw that Daddy was sad towards the end. Maybe Daddy knew that he would not see us grow up. Don't worry, we know we will see Daddy again in heaven and we must first finish our work here on Earth."
Another touching tribute was paid by Morne du Plessis who spoke of the immense respect that Kruger was held in not only by the South African rugby community, but throughout the world. Du Plessis quoted General George Patton (a World War II veteran): "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."
Fellow former Bok Andre Venter spoke of how the last time he visited Kruger, that Kruger insisted on praying for him (Venter suffers from transverse myelitis, which has resulted in him being wheelchair bound).
"Ruben prayed for me," Venter said, as he visibly struggled to contain his emotions. "That moment summed up his life; no matter what the situation, he put his fellow men first. That makes Ruben not just a rugby legend, but a legend in life. If there is a rugby team in heaven, I want to be on Ruben's team."
Ruben Kruger was renowned not only as a Springbok but also as a Christian of deep and abiding faith.