Frederick Pieter Luyt

Lammetjie Luyt
Full names: Frederick Pieter
Date of birth: 26 Feb 1888
Place of birth: Ceres
Schools: Paul Roos Gymnasium SACS
Springbok no: 114
Debut test province: Western Province
Physical: 1.77m
Date of death: 6 Jun 1965 (Age 77)

Test summary: Tests: 7 Tries: 2
First Test: 6 Aug 1910 Age:22 Halfback against Britain at Wanderers (Old Wanderers), Johannesburg
Last Test: 4 Jan 1913 Age:24 Halfback against England at Twickenham, London

Test history:
Date Age Position Opponent Result Score Venue Prov
06 Aug 1910 22 Halfback Britain Win: 14-10 1 try Wanderers (Old Wanderers), Johannesburg WP
27 Aug 1910 22 Halfback Britain Lose: 3-8 Crusaders (St George's Park), Port Elizabeth WP
03 Sep 1910 22 Halfback Britain Win: 21-5 1 try Newlands, Cape Town WP
23 Nov 1912 24 Halfback Scotland Win: 16-0 Inverleith, Edinburgh WP
30 Nov 1912 24 Halfback Ireland Win: 38-0 1 conversion Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin WP
14 Dec 1912 24 Halfback Wales Win: 3-0 Millenium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff WP
04 Jan 1913 24 Halfback England Win: 9-3 Twickenham, London WP

Lammetjie Luyt : Doc Craven
Lammetjie Luyt : Doc Craven
"Lammetjie" was the scrumhalf who started the dive-pass era on the advice of Mr Markotter. In those days, the moment the hooker touched the ball, the loose forwards could break from the scrum.

The result was that four people would converge on the halfbacks. No wonder the scrumhalf was called the "donkey" halfback; he had to do all the dirty slogging.

The three loose forwards and the opposing scrumhalf could go for the halfback. Often the poor scrumhalf would be kicked during the match, sometimes unintentionally and sometimes on purpose.

Fred Luyt discovered, as did his successors - including myself - that one of the best methods of defence was to dive away from the oncoming forwards. At the same time, the pass ensured a good long service to the standoff half.

It was only in 1931/32 that the 3-4-1 scrum formation came about; prior to this we used the 3-3-2 combination.

This pass was also known as the falling pass, as one literally fell away from the opposing forwards. So Fred started this particular movement which was then built on and perfected by great players such as Dan Brink, who, because of World War I, was unfortunate not to have played for South Africa - Pally Truter, Daunce Devine and Champion Myburgh.

Although I became noted for my divepass, I was merely carrying on the tradition which had been devised by these four great players. I recall that after the team had been selected for the 1931/32 tour Fred Luyt called me aside and said to bear in mind that although the dive pass was a very good weapon, one certainly didn't have to use it all the time.

At the time it gave me a thrill to think that one of the great scrumhalves of the 1912/13 team had taken the trouble to discuss some of the finer points of the game with me and to pass on the experience he'd gained to someone who was then a very raw 20 year-old.

Fred was a marvellous player and a most worthy Springbok.

Freddie (Lammetjie) Luyt : Chris Schoeman
The youngest of three brothers to play for the Springboks, Freddie Luyt was regarded by many as the best halfback South -Africa had produced up to the 1912/13 Springbok tour to the UK. He had a cool head, was a thinker and a player with vision. Long before Danie Craven showed off his dive-pass, Luyt was already using it to protect himself from forwards trying to pounce on him.

In the UK, he was described as 'a genius, in fact, because he brings off so many outrageous innovations, risky and dangerous to all but one so gifted ... He does not lack much to touch, preferring to have the ball in play, but his defence, when the order is to fall back on the line, is superb ... A wet day and heavy ground seem to be just the same to him as fine weather and fast foothold.'

A report on Luyt prior to the tour read: 'International halves of the calibre of Fred Luyt are born, not made; a lifetime of practice, but for natural aptitude, would never have evolved such an offensively cool, brilliant and calculating player'. Luyt was particularly brilliant in the first Test of the tour, against Scotland, which the Springboks won 16-0, his captain Billy Millar afterwards calling him 'a veritable will-o-the-wisp', whose wizardry had his opponents guessing'.
Lammetjie Luyt : Hamilton SP RFC History
Full name: Frederick Pieter Luyt

Born: Ceres, 26 February 1885

Deceased: Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, 6 June 1965

Clubs: SA College, Stellenbosch, Hamiltons

Province: Western Province

International career: 1910-13: 7 tests

Lammetjie Luyt, a lawyer, who was also called Fred or Freddie, was Paddy Carolin’s partner in a legal practice in Moorreesburg. Carolin, who wrote a great deal about the game of rugby, claimed that Luyt was South Africa’s first specialist scrumhalf and the first man to use the dive pass. The dive pass was a method of getting the scrumhalf away from marauding loose forwards who by the laws of the day were able to follow the ball through the scrum or ruck.

Luyt street : G.J. van Eck.
LUYT. Daar was drie Luyt-broers wat rugbyspringbokke was. In 1910 speel Freddie (Frederick Pieter, bygenaamd "Lammetjies") en Richard Robert vir Suid-Afrika teen die Britse toerspan alhier, en in die 1912/13-Springbokspan na Brittanje het 'n derde broer nl. John Douglas saam met die ander twee aan die internasionale wedstryde teen Skotland, Wallis en Engeland deelgeneem. So iets het nog nie weer 'n gesin in ons land te beurt geval nie. Freddie en Richard - albei spelers vir Hamiltons was natuurlik van Oubaas Mark se "manne". Hulle is onderskeidelik op 26 February 1888 en 16 April 1886, te Ceres, K.P. gebore en het aan die Victoriakollege gestudeer. Eersgenoemde was prokureur en laasgenoemde verbonde aan die Ou Mutual.

"Richard Luyt was acknowledged to be the most brainy centre in the country, a player with a rare gift for summing up a situation and the possessor of a dummy in which he did a roaring trade."

John Douglas het as voorspeler vir Crusaders in die O.P. gespeel. Hy is in 1885 op Ceres gebore en was leerling aan S.A.C.S. en student aan die Victoriakollege.

BRONNE:
(1) CRAVEN, dr. D. (i) Oubaas Mark.
(ii) Springbok-annale (Rugby) 1889-1964.
(iii) Springboks Down the Years.
(2) Rugby in SA. - Uitgegee ten behoewe van die S.A. Rugbyraad.
(3) PARKER, A. C. The Springboks 1891-1970, London 1970.

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