JOHANNESBURG – Louis Luyt, the former head of the South African Rugby Union who presided over the Springboks’ return to international rugby and their victory at the 1995 World Cup has died. He was 80.
SARU said Luyt, a former player, administrator, newspaper proprietor, businessman and politician, died on Friday at his home outside Durban on South Africa’s east coast after a long illness.
Current SARU president Oregan Hoskins said Luyt was “a single-minded and determined individual who dominated rugby politics” in South Africa.
But Luyt also became notorious and unpopular in his country after he forced South Africa’s then president Nelson Mandela to give evidence for five hours in court in 1998 when SARU challenged the government’s right to intrude into rugby. It led to Luyt resigning.