Pioneer South African rugby official Ebrahim Patel dead at 78

Ebrahim Patel, co-president of the first multiracial South African national rugby union, died on Monday in Johannesburg aged 78 after suffering a stroke, SA Rugby announced.

He shared the presidency in 1992 with Danie Craven as nearly a century of racial division in South African, with separate bodies governing white, mixed race and black players, ended.

These divisions led to South Africa being barred from international rugby and the Springboks were excluded from the first two editions of the Rugby World Cup in 1987 and 1991.

As apartheid collapsed leading to multiracial elections and the installation of Nelson Mandela as the first democratically chosen president, South Africa hosted and won the 1995 World Cup.

"His contribution to the game in South Africa is on a par with the greatest administrators we have had," said SA Rugby president Mark Alexander.

"It was a remarkable achievement to bring all rugby communities together after so many years of division. He was a pioneer of non-racial rugby."

The administrative skills of Patel were recognised beyond South Africa and he served on the International Rugby Board (now World Rugby).

His death followed that of former Springboks full-back HO de Villiers on Sunday aged 76. He made 14 Test appearances between 1967 and 1970.

"HO de Villiers revolutionised full-back play with his counter-attacks and was widely regarded as one of the best to represent South Africa in that position," said Alexander.

"Unfortunately, injuries robbed him of the opportunity to play in many more Tests for the Springboks."