Louis Luyt says All Blacks are whingers

4.00pm

Former South African rugby supremo Louis Luyt has called the All Blacks whingers and says the Springboks are clearly the most hard done-by team on the international scene.

In an extraordinary interview published in Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper, Luyt said the Springboks were the best team in the world through the 1990s and that the illness in the New Zealand camp before the 1995 World Cup final was caused by takeaway food.

He said All Blacks and their supporters were always seeking excuses for their losses and didn't want to admit South Africa deserved the 1995 title.

"One thing that does annoy me is how the All Blacks say they must right the wrongs of 1995. What wrongs?" Luyt said.

"They were the better-coached side and had better players but not on that day.

"They whinge and whine that we were lucky to win. We were not lucky. In fact, they were lucky. The referee helped them. Springbok flanker Ruben Kruger clearly scored a try in the first half that was disallowed. But it was a try and it should have been awarded. Then we would have won by 10 points, not three."

Luyt said claims of food poisoning by the All Blacks were little more than squealing.

"Everyone knows they went out to get fast food and that is how they got sick. Everyone knows, so why do they lie?

"But I do not even believe they were sick at all. It is just an excuse for losing. If they were sick, then how did they play for 100 minutes, I ask you?

"If you have food poisoning you can't play for 10 minutes. I know, because we were poisoned. We had the poison pasta in Cape Town before the pool match against Australia but didn't say anything.

"We never squealed. We did not whinge and whine like the New Zealanders. We kept it to ourselves because we did not want to give the Wallabies an advantage."

Luyt said the All Blacks also complained they were unlucky to lose the 1994 Bledisloe Cup in Sydney when George Gregan knocked the ball out of Jeff Wilson's hands over the tryline in the dying minutes.

"Jeff Wilson was running to score the try like he was some kind of superstar and George Gregan tackled him. He was not unlucky. The Aussies were the better side. They must accept that."

Luyt said Australia could not call themselves World Cup champions in 1991 as the Springboks were not there.

"If we had played we would have beaten them," he said.

"We always knew we were the world champions. If you look at the rankings, we were the world champions from 1994 to 1999. In fact, if you look at the rankings, we had been the world champions for 62 years, but on that day we were finally accepted as the best in the world and no one else could claim they were the world champions."

Luyt accepted the Springboks had slipped in the world rankings -- "we are down with the minnows" -- and that they must regain respect.

"We don't suffer losers in South Africa and the Springboks recently have been losers, so that must change," he said.

Luyt believed South Africa were unfairly tainted as a "dirty" team, a tag that England deserved. He said England No 8 Lawrence Dallaglio should have been ruled out of the tournament for his punch on Springbok winger Thinus Delport.

"If it had been a Springbok player, he would be home now watching the World Cup on TV but Dallaglio gets off without being punished.

"I said the Springboks must go to the police and have Dallaglio dealt with by Australian justice. Charge Dallaglio with assault and put him in jail. That is what they should do if the IRB won't punish him."

Likewise, the spectator who tried to tackle Springbok goalkicker Louis Koen should have received more than a fine.

"He should be put in jail. If it was a South African that is where he would be now -- rotting in jail.

"So it is clear everything is biased against South Africa."

Luyt conceded Australia had done a good job running the World Cup but only because they had copied his blueprint from running the 1995 tournament.

Luyt said he didn't get invited to the World Cup but was looking forward to watching the All Blacks-Springbok quarterfinal on television.

"It hurts my heart, but I think the All Blacks will win, and if they do we must just be humble and take it. They have the better team and have been better during the tournament, so they should win.

"But that is just what they said in 1995 and look what happened then...'

- NZPA