Former South Africa wing Chester Williams has passed away aged 49.
It is reported that Williams, who was a member of the 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks side, died from a suspected heart attack.
One of the many things Williams will be remembered for is that he was the only black player in that 1995 South Africa team that beat New Zealand in the World Cup on home soil.
He earned 27 Test caps for South Africa between 1993 and 200 and scored 14 tries. After retiring from playing in 2001, Williams went into coaching and coached the South Africa Sevens team, Super Rugby's Cats and the Pumas in his homeland.
His passing has come as a great shock and many have paid tribute to the player, including Wales' record try scorer Shane Williams.
"Goes without saying a legend but having spent some time with him a lovely man," the former Wales wing wrote on Twitter.
World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont added: "Desperately saddened to hear of Chester Williams’s passing. A symbol of the rainbow nation, Chester’s name will forever epitomize a remarkable and transformational Rugby World Cup 1995.
"We’ve lost a great, engaging man far too soon and our thoughts are with his family."
SA rugby president Mark Alexander also spoke of Williams' impact on the game. "Chester was a true pioneer in South African rugby," said Mark Alexander, the president of SA Rugby.
"His performances at the World Cup in 1995, as a snapshot of his Springbok career, will forever be etched in the hearts and minds of our rugby public.
"The news of Chester's passing is devastating and hard to believe, as he was still young and seemingly in good health."
