Springbok and Western Province have lost a great son, with the news that centre Tinus Linee lost his fight against motor neuron disease this morning.
Linee, who toured with regularly the Springboks in the immediate post-isolation era, was never capped but always excelled as a big-hitting midfield defender. His Western Province and Stormers career spanned nearly a decade and he played 112 games for them, never representing any other side.
Diagnosed with the debilitating and degenerative disease in 2013, Linee’s battle was a private one until former teammate Joost van der Westhuizen’s struggle with the same disease shone a spotlight on both cases. While van der Westhuizen continues to fight bravely, 45-year-old Linee passed away earlier today.
Our sympathy, condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to Tinus’s friends, family and team mates on this sad day. Rest in peace, Tinus Linee.
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Rest in peace. Condolences to his family. He always seemed like such a likeable person.
Rest in Peace Tinus.
I had a Tinus Linee rugby card when I was a kid. RIP Tinus!
@jakkalas (Comment 3) : I loved those cards!
@jakkalas (Comment 3) : @robdylan (Comment 4) : I was just remembering my Tinus Linee card. One of the first ones I ever got.
R.I.P. Tinus.
@StevieS (Comment 5) : there did seem to be an awful lot of Tinus cards…. I had about 30 of him before I finally got the Dick Muir I wanted.
In fact, I never got Dick Muir out of a pack I bought. I had to trade for him.
@robdylan (Comment 6) : I traded or won the cards lol
Those were good times. The Natal cards were rarely played for and possessively treasured.
@StevieS (Comment 7) : I reckon I ended up with more cards of Gerhard Harding than he ever had caps for Natal 🙂
Condolences to his family!!!! Rest in Peace Tinus!!!!! Hell he put in some HUGE hits and I will always remember him for that.
@robdylan (Comment 8) : Hahaha 😆
@jakkalas (Comment 3) : @robdylan (Comment 4) : @StevieS (Comment 7) : shit now I feel old!!!!! Was already working when those cards came out!!!!!! Thanks a lot for making me feel old on this already shitty BLUE Monday!!!!!
RIP to a great player and servant of WP and SA Rugby.
I grew up playing in the centres and always admired his defence and no BS attitude while playing.
@JD (Comment 11) : Sorry Oom… oops, I mean JD
@StevieS (Comment 13) : ja ja ja boetie the oom will survive 😉
@JD (Comment 14) : Is reg so oom 😀
@VinChainSaw (Comment 12) : I heard his wife say that he managed to watch the CC final right until after the handing over of the Cup to Juan de Jong and that he was very happy with the win.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 16) : That’s special. Thanks for sharing. You get to realise how much these guys love their teams and what it means to them.
@robdylan (Comment 8) : My first game out of high school I had to play against Thinus with Julies on my inside. They where killing each other. I prayed that whole game just for time to pass. Thinus gave me a “welcome to rugby” off the ball about 30meters from play, after I put in a good hit on him. Later that year I did my coaching saru course and Thinus came and tapped me on the shoulder and gave me a little klas again launching about our game a few weeks before. Been good rugby fellows ever since. Any way a few months later Jaco Gouws gave me the same “hello” off the ball. I will never know but I think T was the instigator. Really wasn’t a close friend, but I really respected and liked working with him at academy level. He was a true son of Rugby. And a awesome charator.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 16) :
Thats a fantastic story – thanks for sharing Salmo.
A very sad day.
@BoerSeun (Comment 18) :
Like.
@StevieS (Comment 17) : @Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 16) : glad to hear. Ja he was a WP man in murg en been!!!! This almost makes me happy that WP won the Currie cup.
Very sad to hear, rest in Peace Tinus. I remember watching him when i first started watching rugby properly and getting nervous every time he made a clean break. Those were the days lol, eating Pro-Vita and watch it on SABC as a young boy, Rest in Peace. No more suffering.