Former Springbok strongman Tommie Laubscher, 44, was killed in a freak accident early on Saturday on the road between Velddrif and Piketberg on the West Coast.
Trying to be a Good Samaritan, Laubscher had pulled over to help a motorist who had hit a cow on the road in heavy mist.
While he was trying to assist the driver, a bakkie coming from the opposite direction hit the stranded vehicle before smashing into Laubscher with such force that he was killed on the spot, said police spokesperson Captain Randal Stoffels.
Police have questioned the driver of the bakkie but he has not been arrested. Officers had opened a case of culpable homicide and were still taking statements from witnesses, he said.
Paramedics on the scene said no one else was injured. But next to the dead cow they found a dead porcupine.
Earlier in the evening Laubscher and his wife, Antoinette, had been entertaining friends and their children on their farm Bessieheuwel, in Velddrif, before they all decided to go wild pig-spotting. They were heading back to the farm when the incident occurred between 2am and 3am.
A family friend, Jeanette Cilliers, said the accident happened fast and the mist was very heavy. They had all tagged along in their own vehicles. "Antoinette and the children are in shock and are very traumatised. He had his eldest son, Tommie junior, 17, with him in the car."
She said the Laubschers had invited friends for a braai on Friday evening. "Tommie loved to cook and he made a seafood potjie with fish on the braai. He was in his usual jovial mood. We later decided to go wild pig-spotting. On the way back we stopped at the accident scene."
She said that on Saturday more than 60 relatives and friends gathered on the farm to mourn the loss of the local rugby legend.
"There have been hundreds of phone calls from people wanting to convey their sympathy. Tommie was deeply loved and an absolute legend on the West Coast. Everybody knew him, he was very entertaining and he made an impression on everyone he met."
Laubscher was a former Western Province prop and he played six Tests for the Springboks in 1994 and 1995.
Before Saturday's Test against England, the Springboks had a minute of silence to pay their respects to one of the most powerful props in South African rugby history.
In the late 1990s Laubscher made newspaper headlines for assaulting his farmworkers on several occasions. In one case he broke a worker's jaw.
Fellow rugby players have described him as "larger than life" and driven by a passion for rugby.
His former Western Province coach, Alan Zondagh, said: "It's sad when something like this happens. He was a very down-to-earth guy. During his days in rugby he made a lot of sacrifices, he would travel all the way from his farm on the West Coast to practice sessions. He was a very good prop and a feared player on the field."
Rob Wagner, managing director of Western Province Rugby, said Laubscher had made a major contribution to local rugby in the 1996 era, culminating in the Currie Cup triumph over Free State at Newlands.
"He was a massive character who brought humour to the side. He was strong as an ox and a great player. But he was very unassuming and an unsung hero," said Wagner.
"This is a sad and emotional day as Western Province has lost one of its favourite sons."