The player who represented the then Transvaal (Lions), Western Province and the Sharks died of a heart attack and approximately 12:00 on Wednesday afternoon.

The sad news was confirmed by his mother, Vaughn.

It is believed that Small was in Cape Town and was on his way to Johannesburg, where he lived with his 14-year-old daughter, Ruby.

Small was widely regarded as the original bad boy of South African rugby, and this was something that appealed to supporters of the sport.

His most famous battle in the green-and-gold was during the 1995 Rugby World Cup final when he went head-to-head with the gigantic New Zealand winger, Jonah Lomu. The All Black legend, Lomu, in his turn passed away at the age of 45 on 18 November 2015, from a heart attack linked to his kidney disease which he had been battling with for years.

Small played 47 Tests for the Springboks between 1992 and 1997 and scored 20 tries.

He was also part of the Springbok team that won the 1995 Rugby World Cup when they beat the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

In more recent times, Small, was involved with coaching, where he was an assistant to Robert du Preez at the North West University Pukke and Leopards.

After Ruben Kruger and Joost van der Westhuizen, Small is the third player from the famous 1995 team to pass away. The coach of the team, Kitch Christie, passed away in 1998.

This is a developing story.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport