He has a reputation for being grumpy. He's a fierce competitor and after he kicked a prostrate Malcolm O'Kelly in this summer's Pretoria Test, he might as well have been the devil incarnate in Irish eyes. Opponents must hate him, but for another reason as well. They, like most people, would concede that Joost van der Westhuizen is simply the best.
The primary reason this Springbok team isn't beaten until the Fat Lady is into her second chorus is that they have individuals who can turn a match in an instant. Van der Westhuizen is the likeliest lad in this regard.
He may not have the most quicksilver pass the world has ever seen, but his pace, strength and balance are complemented by his work-rate around the fringes through tackling and sniping. More than anything it is his mental strength and competitive streak which make him an undoubted match-winner. His try sparked the magnificent comeback, when they won 24-23, against the All Blacks in Durban this year. He instigated the matchwinning try in the Wembley epic against Wales a fortnight ago when he shot through a gap and offloaded in the tackle to Johan Erasmus before the ball fell kindly for Andre Venter.
Last weekend Van der Westhuizen administered the killer blow to the Scots early in the second half at Murrayfield, with the score still 11-7. When Pieter Rossouw brought down Alan Tait out wide on half-way with all 15 Scots committed to attack, van der Westhuizen picked up and hared down the touchline for a typically opportunist try.
The touchline corridor seemed no more than half a yard wide, yet the commentator was moved to comment that "you cannot afford to give van der Westhuizen that much room". Any room for this fella is too much room.
That effort increased his record Springbok haul to 24 tries in 48 tests and come next Saturday at Twickenham, he will become the second South African, after Mark Andrews, to reach a half century of test caps.
Aside from the try-scoring records, there's more, lots more. His coach, Nick Mallett, reckons "he's the best defensive scrumhalf the world has ever seen".
"He's incredibly competitive, so he doesn't only do the basic duties around rucks and mauls, but he gets back, his covering is very good. He's a powerful man and very quick, so he can tackle loose forwards and centres going through.
"And then on attack he's a great opportunist. I've tried to improve his collective skills because in the past he used to be known for his individualism, but then the team might not have succeeded because he was having a little look for himself before the pass.
"But he's become much better than that - his ability to play other people in without losing that ability to break a game. With a player like that he's always capable of doing something unusual and breaking a game. And he's just a wonderful player to have in the team."
Van der Westhuizen's honestly entitled autobiography For Love and Money candidly reflects the man. It comes as no surprise to learn that his preferred way of preparing for a match is to do so quietly, on his own and tuned in to his walkman.
So what's the great man like as individual? Mallett again. "I think he's driven by success. He measures himself on how many tests he can play, on how many tries he can score, how often he can remain unbeaten, to win the Currie Cup. He's not your most gregarious bloke in the team, but you know that every single time he runs out on the field the one thing he has at the bottom of his heart is for South Africa to win. When he runs out for Northern Transvaal, you know he wants Northern Transvaal to win with all his heart and if he plays a sevens game he wants to win that.
"His competitive nature is the one thing that shines above everything else," says Mallett. "He really hates losing with a passion."
From a distance, van der Westhuizen comes across as a proud Afrikaner - a bit arrogant and introverted. Tracking him down for three days, he was as elusive as he is on the pitch. When you're the world's best everybody wants a piece of you. When I finally caught up with him he bemoaned that The Irish Times hadn't been on his "list". After another interview he fitted me in, his sixth interview of the morning at the Burlington Hotel. It didn't bode well, but he was nothing less than professional, courteous with it, and gave a real insight in to what makes him tick.
The label of world's best sits easily with him. "Obviously I take it as a compliment, but the moment you're going to think about it and the moment you're going to worry about it, then I think that's the moment you're going to lose it. So I don't want to think about it. If people say it so be it, but I've never said it."
The try-scoring (seven in his last nine tests) is great, but "if you look at the way the team performs then you can connect the two".
"I do have try-scoring ability, but what I must say is that the team comes first and if the try is there I'll take it, but the team performance is more important for me."
Even, seemingly, running on empty after 11 months of nonstop, high-class rugby, van der Westhuizen dismisses the fatigue factor as a state of mind. He is the embodiment of this team in that they never seem to panic.
Ask him if there's been one highlight in his career and he answers categorically that there's been three - the 1995 World Cup win, his first Currie Cup success (as captain of the Blue Bulls), and next Saturday, his 50th test.
Mention of this recalls Mallett's assertion that van der Westhuizen is driven by success unlike few others.
"I think it's the way I've been brought up. I'm a very competitive person. If I want something I'll get it and I'm a perfectionist. I'm never happy with my game because I think at this stage I'm still struggling with some scrumhalf play. But that's the way I've been brought up. Up to date I've never been late for any practice and I think it's also a case of do you want to live a dedicated? life or do you just want to go forward saying `I'll do this and I'll do that'. I'm a guy who structures all my goals. I say `I want this, how am I going to get it?' Break it down and do this, this and this. That's the way I live. Also for me, at this stage in my life, the most important thing in my life is to play for the Springboks and I'll do whatever it takes."
His wife Marlene may not like hearing that, but the player refutes quotes attributed to her that his commitment had created a strain in their relationship.
"That's something that was taken totally out of proportion. She would like a normal family life, but she accepts my rugby and supports me in every way. She is 26 and would like a kid, but we agreed it would be unfair to her, to me or to the kids because we want to grow up as a family, so we'll wait 'til I finish my Springbok career. Obviously it puts a lot of pressure when a player spends so much time away."
Breaking into a wide smile, he adds: "But she sent me an e-mail this morning. She supports me all the way."
For now, van der Westhuizen cannot see beyond next year's World Cup. When retirement day does come, though, he intends concentrating on his own brand name clothing range which is already "doing well".
Religion is another driving force. Van der Westhuizen is a devout member of the Dutch Reform Church and organised bible studies before each of the Blue Bulls' matches en route to their Currie Cup win.
Van der Westhuizen landed in hot water when he was quoted before the final, against Western Province, suggesting that they had the god on their side.
"You can't ever be in hot water, I personally think, when it comes to religion if what you say is what you believe. I mean I said that before every match when we pray, we prayed for help and for God to help us by using us an instrument for other people. And then suddenly I woke up the next morning to see in the papers that I said that God is on our side, no one else's side. And that's not what I said. But that is also one of the reasons why we won the Currie Cup, because we believed in ourselves and that someone else was looking after us."
He always prayed before games, but not with the same belief which he does now. "My life changed a lot after my groin injury last year. Then I looked back and said: `listen, live your life day to day'. It's like that saying some people are looking for a meaning in life, but they forget the meaning of being alive. So what better way for me to say thank you to the Lord for giving me the talent for what I am able to do on the field. And I know the reason he gave me this talent is to be there for him and to say thank you on the field."
This hardly tallies with that infamous kick in Pretoria, but his surprising and genuine penitence does.
"I was obviously embarrassed and that's why I was the first one afterwards to say sorry. It was just stupid and I was very lucky not to get sent-off," he recalls, smiling sheepishly now. "Very lucky. I think it was a bit of frustration. It was just a moment of insanity and I'm still saying sorry. Actually it's a good thing. What better way to say sorry than in public and in Ireland."
