Springbok scrum half Joost van der Westhuizen has predicted a bright future for South African rugby as he retired from international rugby following his side’s 29-9 defeat at the hands of the All Blacks last night.
The quarter final defeat ended an 11 year Test career which included 89 caps, a figure which made him South Africa’s most capped player.
The 32 year old, who was a key member of the 1995 RWC winning side, admitted his disappointment after the Springboks lost their first ever RWC quarter final.
"It's not about sadness for ending my career, it's sadness for losing the match. That's the sad part," he told the BBC.
"We came out here committed to winning the World Cup. It's all about losing the Cup. It's not about me."
Bright future
The veteran then said he was leaving the Springboks in a good state with a strong nucleus for the future.
"I'm personally very excited. If you look at the age of our team - besides mine - it's a young side.
"And the way the youngsters came through, the way they prepared themselves, I'm very excited to see what's going to happen in the next four years to South African rugby.
Sam calls for stability
South African team manger Gideon Sam also stressed the need to retain Rudolf Straeuli as coach - the Springboks' ninth in 11 years.
"I would urge all our rugby supporters back home to get it into their minds that if we really want to get into the top of world rugby, stability is unquestionable," said Sam.
"I can only plead with management at the top level - give them a chance to build so that in the future we can be a respected nation."