Final Years
After resigning as Springbok coach in March 1996, Christie's treatment went well enough that he was finally able to fulfill a longtime dream of coaching Northern Transvaal, accepting the head coaching job there for the 1997 Super 12 season. However, due to ill-health, he was unable to travel with the team to Australasia early in the season, and he was hospitalised a few weeks later after his condition took a turn for the worse. It was there that Christie experienced one of the lowest moments in his career when he was fired as coach by Northerns' president Hentie Serfontein while he lay in his hospital bed. Christie described this as being fired "like a dog".
By the end of 1997, his condition worsened to the point that he sought specialised treatment in the U.S. He was able to return to rugby as a technical adviser to the Falcons in early 1998, but his condition worsened once more, entering the hospital for the final time on Easter Sunday of 1998. Christie died on 22 April 1998, leaving his wife Judy of 19 years, their son Clayton, and his two daughters, Catherine and Caroline, from a previous marriage.
Read more about this topic: Kitch Christie
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