Ken Borland

Louis Luyt, the former president of the South African Rugby Football Union, parliamentarian and businessman, did not exactly have what could be described as an inclusive leadership style. But then again, he probably didn’t need to as he came from a section of society known as the “Super-Afrikaners”, had close ties with the ruling National Party and, allegedly, the Broederbond.

Although he was amongst the first to initiate talks with the then-banned ANC, Luyt angered the government and the majority of South Africans in 1998 when he crossed the line and forced President Nelson Mandela to testify as a witness when rugby faced a commission of inquiry into the sport’s slow pace of transformation.

A self-made man, Luyt made his fortune as a fertiliser salesman, then brought a brewery and, infamously,The Citizen as it became embroiled in the Infogate scandal that revealed the National Party were actually funding the newspaper with taxpayers’ money.

To say he did not suffer fools gladly would be an understatement: negotiations or meetings with Luyt were not for the fainthearted and the former Free State lock forward had little time for tact nor pleasantries. He preferred the Bull-In-A-China-Shop approach and bulldozed his way into getting what he wanted.

Where Luyt did provide great joy for the country was in bringing and heading the organisation of the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, although he rather sullied all his good work after the final with a horribly ungracious speech after the Springboks’ triumph.

The All Blacks left the post-match function when Luyt boasted that the win proved South Africa would have won the previous two World Cups as well, and the referees and many other guests followed suit when he presented semi-final referee Derek Bevan with a gold watch after a tight encounter against France had been edged by the hosts. Ed Morrison, who took charge of the final, received nothing.

Luyt only lasted another three more years as Sarfu president, the outrage over his treatment of Mandela eventually leading to his ousting, after which he moved to the North Coast of KZN, where he died on Friday at the age of 80 after a series of heart problems.

Rugby in South Africa is led by a president of a totally different style these days in the urbane Oregan Hoskins, but he has been criticised for being toothless, with some calling for another Luyt to “sort out rugby”.

But South African rugby is now a multi-million rand business and cannot afford the sort of nepotism and favouritism Luyt showed … The news that he had retired in KZN did not go down well in the province because Sharks fans always felt they were screwed over by the long-time Transvaal Rugby Union strongman.

Hoskins is only constrained because of the structural weakness in South African rugby that sees 14 directors from all the provinces, some of them dinosaurs from the Luyt era, running the game, rather than an executive of professional experts.

Luyt used the system superbly, getting the smaller unions behind him as he made Transvaal the powerhouses, but his modus operandi could never work in this age of corporate PR and labour rights.

The way he fired Ian McIntosh as Springbok coach in 1994 without warning after he had drawn a Test in New Zealand was typical of the way Luyt operated.

Following his departure from rugby administration, Luyt became a member of parliament for the Federal Alliance party he began and, quite remarkably considering his legal tussle with Mandela, was elected on to the Judicial Services Commission.

Capable of infuriating but also getting things done, Luyt was undoubtedly one of the most colourful people in the history of South Africa’s transition to democracy.

Such giant personalities are few and far between, but the disappointment was that Luyt chose to feed his own ego and was not, in the end, the nation-builder and rugby messiah he could have been.

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, who tweeted that Luyt had “caused some of us to turn backs on sport we love” is not the only one who will lament the negative influence Luyt became.

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Lions coach Johan Ackermann has freshened up his team with nine changes to the starting line-up for their Lions Challenge match against the Cheetahs at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The Cheetahs are bringing an injury-hit squad featuring fringe players to Johannesburg and Ackermann will also be fielding several new faces for the Lions’ second game of the season, following their 51-13 victory over Russia last weekend.

But centre Alwyn Hollenbach, who has been mentioned for higher honours, has returned from injury and will provide captain JC Janse van Rensburg with experienced support alongside loose forward Derick Minnie.

Swys du Toit has also been introduced at hooker, with Martin Bezuidenhout, the subject of loan speculation in Cape Town, out of the squad. While the Lions did confirm they are in negotiations with the Stormers over lending the front-ranker to them, Ackermann said the Orkney-born 23-year-old would have been rested this weekend anyway.

“We received a call requesting we loan Martin to the Stormers from February to the end of March and we are busy finalising the details. We should know for sure on Monday,” Lions CEO Manie Booysen said on Friday.

Janse van Rensburg said he expected a tough encounter with the Cheetahs.

“There’s always extra competition against the South African teams, it will be like a derby, hard and tough. The Cheetahs are in the same boat as us, their tight five will also be out to prove themselves, so it will be  as tough as always up front,” he said.

Coach Ackermann has brought Du Toit, two new locks – former Northern Free Stater Gavin Annandale and Hugo Kloppers – and flank Jaco Kriel into the pack, while the Cronje twins, Ross and Guy, will direct affairs from halfback.

Amongst the backs, former Blue Bulls flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff is included at fullback and Ackermann confirmed the 24-year-old is being looked at as a challenger to Andries Coetzee in the number 15 jersey.

“Marnitz played a lot of rugby at fullback for the Blue Bulls U20 side and we want to see how he goes at 15, he is challenging Andries Coetzee. Marnitz can cover flyhalf as well, while Ruhan Nel can also play fullback and Lionel Cronje covers inside centre too,” Ackermann said.

Hollenbach at inside centre and Nel on the right wing are the other changes to the backline and Ackermann said Hollenbach, the former SA U19 star, was eager to get back on to the field after a shoulder injury.

“Alwyn is eager to play, I asked him if he was sure he was 100% ready and he said it’s time to get back on the park, he didn’t want to wait another week,” Ackermann said.

Team: Marnitz Boshoff, Ruhan Nel, Stokkies Hanekom, Alwyn Hollenbach, Anthony Volmink, Guy Cronje, Ross Cronje, Willie Britz, Derick Minnie, Jaco Kriel, Hugo Kloppers, Gavin Annandale, Ruan Dreyer, Swys du Toit, JC Janse van Rensburg. Substitutes – Robbie Coetzee, Jacques van Rooyen, JJ Breet, Claude Tshibidi, Michael Bondesio, Lionel Cronje, Andries Coetzee.

Five players will make their representative debuts for the Lions at the weekend when the relegated Super Rugby franchise take on Russia at Ellis Park in the inaugural game of the Lions Challenge.

Lions coach Johan Ackermann has thrown flyhalf Lionel Cronje, centres Harold Vorster and Stokkies Hanekom, flank Warwick Tecklenburg, and lock Franco Mostert straight into the fray as the Lions begin a new era on Saturday night.

They have, however, also chosen their strongest available combination –barring the injured Jaco Kriel, Alwyn Hollenbach, Ruan Combrinck and Deon van Rensburg, — endorsing the feeling that the Johannesburg-based franchise are eager to begin their new era with winning momentum.

“Every game will be important for us, but it’s especially important that we start this tournament well. I’m happy with the mix of players I’ve got, we have the opportunity now to try a few players but there will be a time closer to the end of the competition when I’ll have to settle on number one and number two in every position,” Ackermann said at the team announcement on Thursday.

“We want to fine-tune our game, get some conditioning and continuity going, especially getting the new players to gel, and it will be our first real contact because we haven’t had a lot up till now. We want to get our style of play going too, but really I just want to win and get the guys out on the pitch.”

Russia are the first of three international teams that the Lions will be playing, but they know little about their opening opposition, save for the likelihood that their strength will be concentrated in their pack.

“They traditionally like to keep the ball in front of their forwards.

But we enjoy it when teams come here to scrum because we enjoy that too!” Lions captain and loosehead prop JC Janse van Rensburg said.

Ackermann said he had been impressed with the quality of Russia’s play earlier this week in a game against the University of Johannesburg and, despite recent losses to the USA and Canada, he did not believe the Bears would be pushovers.

The Lions have been bolstered by the arrival of players with SuperRugby experience such as Cronje and Tecklenburg. The talented youngsters have both turned their backs on the Bulls, along with promising lock Mostert.

SA U20 cap Vorster and former South-Western Districts centre Hanekom have been paired together and, being big, tall and fast, should provide go-forward for the Lions in midfield.

Team: 15-Andries Coetzee, 14-Deon Helberg, 13-Stokkies Hanekom, 12-Harold Vorster, 11-Anthony Volmink, 10-Lionel Cronje, 9-Michael Bondesio, 8-Willie Britz, 7-Derick Minnie, 6-Warwick Tecklenburg, 5-Franco Mostert, 4-Hendrik Roodt, 3-Ruan Dreyer, 2-Martin Bezuidenhout, 1-JC Janse van Rensburg. Substitutes – 16-Francois du Toit, 17-Jacques van Rooyen, 18-Jacques Kotze, 19-Hugo Kloppers, 20-Claude Tshibidi, 21-Ross Cronje, 22-Marnitz Boshoff, 23-Ruhan Nel.

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