Dane Robert van der Westhuyzen (born 16 August 1992) is a South African professional rugby union player who last played for the . His regular position is hooker.
Career
Youth
Van der Westhuyzen played for at the Under-13 Craven Week in 2005 and for Eastern Province Country Districts at the Under-18 Academy Week in 2010.
He then joined the EPRU Academy and played for the side in the 2012 Under-21 Provincial Championship, starting all eight of his side's matches as they made it to the final of the competition, scoring one try against en route. Van der Westhuyzen started the final, helping them to beat 24–10.
He was equally as involved for the U21s in the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship – this time round also captaining the side – making eight appearances as the team progressed all the way to the final. He scored a try in the final against in a 59–19 victory to help them win their second consecutive title, although they once again fell short in the promotion play-off, losing 23–21 to .
Eastern Province Kings
Van der Westhuyzen was included in the senior squad for the 2013 Vodacom Cup and was also included in the squad for a match against the as they warmed up for the 2013 Super Rugby season. He made his first class debut in the Vodacom Cup in their match against Argentine invitational side, , and made a total of six appearances in the competition, all from the bench.
He made his first appearance in the Currie Cup competition in the opening fixture of the 2013 Currie Cup First Division season, when he appeared as a substitute in the match against the . He made two starts in their matches against the and the and a further appearance off the bench against the .
Despite initially being released at the end of the 2013 season, he was later offered a one-year contract extension for 2014. He made four appearances in the 2014 Vodacom Cup competition and was included in their squad for the 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division, but failed to make any appearances for the side and was again released at the end of the season.
Leopards
Van der Westhuyzen then joined Port Elizabeth-based university side for the 2015 Varsity Cup competition, making 7 appearances as his side finished second-bottom on the log, before making the move to Potchefstroom to join the .
He was a member of the team that won the 2015 Currie Cup First Division. He featured in a total of eleven matches during the 2015 Currie Cup qualification rounds and First Division proper and scored two tries for the side. He also started the final, where he helped the Leopards to a 44–20 victory over the to win the competition for the first time in their history.