Joost van der Westhuizen has been rushed to hospital and is in a critical condition, according to his J9 Foundation.

The J9 foundation confirmed the news via their Facebook page:

‘The family and friends of Joost ask that you all pray for Joost. He was taken to hospital earlier today and is in a critical condition.

‘We ask that you all please respect the families time at the moment.

‘When we have updates we will let you know for now we ask that we all bow our heads in prayer.’

ALSO READ: Joost upbeat despite setbacks

The former Springbok scrumhalf was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) in 2011.

He has since been confined to a wheelchair after losing the use of his arms and legs, is only able to talk via a speech-generating device, can’t keep his head up without support, and has to be fed.

Last week, Van der Westhuizen confirmed he was using an oxygen machine when he couldn’t breathe on his own, but insisted his life didn’t depend on the device.

Photo: You magazine