The Springboks and the Holy Grail
The Springboks and the Holy Grail

Author: Dan Retief

Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Published: 2011-06-27

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 1770222138

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This is the epic story of South Africa’s amazing quests for the Rugby World Cup, which resulted in triumph at Ellis Park in 1995 and in Paris in 2007, while there was heartbreak in 1999 and shame in 2003. The Springboks and the Holy Grail is no mere narration of matches and scores. The author was closely involved in all four RWC campaigns while working for the Sunday Times and SuperSport, and he provides behind-the-scenes reportage on the great cast and incredible incidents that made for such riveting drama. This is a story of human heroism and frailty, of great dignity and patent jealousy that transcends the mere realm of sport. The book contains numerous interviews with key players and administrators, as well as well-known figures who were touched by these campaigns, and provides a fascinating insight into an event which is now one of the biggest in the world of sport. This is a candid glimpse behind the scenes that often reads like pure fiction.

The Springbok Coaches
The Springbok Coaches

Author: Gavin Rich

Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Published: 2016-07-12

Total Pages: 504

ISBN-13: 1776090594

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Was coach Heyneke Meyer the reason why the Springboks failed at the 2015 Rugby World Cup? And what does the future have in store for the incumbent coach, Allister Coetzee? Find these answers, and many others, in The Springbok Coaches. In this new, updated edition of The Poisoned Chalice, rugby writer Gavin Rich takes us past the disappointment of the 2015 Rugby World Cup right up to the appointment of Allister Coetzee in April 2016, and dissects not only the successes and failures of these two Springbok coaches, but of all the post-isolation coaches who preceded them. If all of them agree on one thing, it is that the job goes hand in hand with tremendous pressure and that, at some point, they all buckled under the strain. This book reveals why André Markgraaff and Rudolf Straeuli came up with some of their weird and controversial decisions, why Nick Mallett dropped Gary Teichmann and how he regrets it now, why Harry Viljoen really quit, and why the pressures on Heyneke Meyer made it so much more difficult for the Springboks to win the 2015 Rugby World Cup. This book chronicles all the post-isolation coaches’ experiences via interviews, articles and stats. From the triumphs to the controversies, the boardroom to the rugby field, The Springbok Coaches will reveal exactly what it takes to be the Bok coach, and why each and every one of them had, at some time or another in the toughest job in South African sport, lost it. A riveting, often revelatory and definitely controversial read!

When the Lions Came to Town
When the Lions Came to Town

Author: Luke Alfred

Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Published: 2014-09-05

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 1770226540

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The early 1970s in South Africa were a time of economic boom, political repression, growing isolation and an unshakeable confidence that the Springboks were the best rugby team in the world - until the infamous 1974 British Lions tour. It was a tour in which a group of talented and long-haired rugby players from the British Isles played, sang and drank their way across the country, beating the Springboks 3-0 in the four Tests, with the last one a dubious draw. Until then the Lions hadn’t beaten South Africa at home in 78 years. Based on original research and interviews with players on both sides, When the Lions Came to Town vividly recreates a tumultuous rugby tour that sent shockwaves through South Africa. It captures a bygone era, a time before television, a golden age of amateurism, pranks and setting hotel rooms alight – as the Lions did after winning the series in PE. Insightful, provocative and frequently amusing, When the Lions Came to Town casts a fresh eye on a divisive but undeniably colourful period in South African political, social and sporting history.

Here Come the Bokke!
Here Come the Bokke!

Author:

Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Published: 2011-07-27

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1770222723

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South Africans love rugby and they love a good laugh. Here Come the Bokke! combines two of South Africa’s favourite pastimes in one hilarious book, guaranteed to tickle the reader’s funny bone. From witty one-liners to classics of yore and up-to-date Super 15 jokes, this book has a laugh for everyone. There are jokes about the front row and the backline, about rugby blondes, coaches, captains and fans - no one and nothing is sacred in Here Come the Bokke! It is guaranteed to put a smile on your dial!

The Power of Karma Yoga
The Power of Karma Yoga

Author: Gopinath Chandra Das

Publisher: Jaico Publishing House

Published: 2023-10-23

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 8119153979

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Understand the essence of Karma Yoga. Master the subtle art of letting go while leading a purpose-driven life. There’s a lot of buzz around being purposeful, but hardly anyone seems to know how to get there. The answer is in the Bhagavad Gita. The Gita's teachings echo through the ages, reaffirming the true impact of your actions and how they hold the key to your destiny. In The Power of Karma Yoga, ISKCON monk and Vedic life coach Gopinath Chandra Das draws from the profound wisdom embedded in chapters 2 to 5 of the Gita that deal exclusively with Karma Yoga. With the help of numerous remarkable examples from the modern world, he explains: • How to select a cause worth dedicating your life to • How to be purpose-driven and how to let go • How to transform yourself into a Karma Yogi Are you ready to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery? Prepare to unlock the immense potential of Karma Yoga and embrace a way of living driven by a larger purpose while letting go of your ego and your need for absolute control. In surrendering to this philosophy, you open the door to a meaningful and fulfilling life.

The Poisoned Chalice
The Poisoned Chalice

Author: Gavin Rich

Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Published: 2013-10-10

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 1770225668

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The Springboks have had several post-isolation coaches, and if they agree on nothing else, they will concur that everyone in the job suffers enormous pressure. Unlike coaches from other rugby-playing countries, they also face many obstacles outside of the game, such as South Africa’s complicated politics and the often unrealistic expectations of both the public and the media. It has been called a poisoned chalice, and everyone, from the first post-isolation coach, John Williams, to the incumbent, Heyneke Meyer, can attest to its veracity. Now, for the first time, their journeys are recorded in one book, and as part of one story. The Poisoned Chalice takes an in-depth look at each of the coaches in the post-apartheid years, and at the same time examines how the role has evolved over the past two decades. From the triumphs to the controversies, the boardroom to the rugby field, this book reveals exactly what it takes to be the Bok coach, and why each and every one of them, at some time or another in the toughest job in South African sport, lost it. A riveting, often revelatory and definitely controversial read!

Flashpoint
Flashpoint

Author: Derek Charles Catsam

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-08-28

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 1538144700

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Forty years ago, a South African rugby tour in the United States became a crucial turning point for the nation’s burgeoning protests against apartheid and a test of American foreign policy. In Flashpoint: How a Little-Known Sporting Event Fueled America's Anti-Apartheid Movement, Derek Charles Catsam tells the fascinating story of the Springbok’s 1981 US tour and its impact on the country’s anti-apartheid struggle. The US lagged well behind the rest of the Western world when it came to addressing the vexing question of South Africa’s racial policies, but the rugby tour changed all that. Those who had been a part of the country’s tiny anti-apartheid struggle for decades used the visit from one of white South Africa’s most cherished institutions to mobilize against both apartheid sport and the South African regime more broadly. Protestors met the South African team at airports, chanted outside their hotels, and courted arrests at matches, which ranged from the bizarre to the laughable, with organizers going to incredible lengths to keep their locations secret. In telling the story of how a sport little appreciated in the United States nonetheless became ground zero for the nation’s growing anti-apartheid movement, Flashpoint serves as a poignant reminder that sports and politics have always been closely intertwined.

From Locker Room to Boardroom
From Locker Room to Boardroom

Author: Ross van Reenen

Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Published: 2012-07-05

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 1770223320

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More than 84 per cent of professional rugby players in South Africa are going to find it difficult to survive financially once they stop playing rugby. How will they find success in their new careers once their rugby jerseys have been washed for the last time? From Locker Room to Boardroom explores how former South African rugby players culled certain traits from their playing days and applied them to their enterprises in order to make a successful transition from the rugby field (the locker room) to the business world (the boardroom). Naas Botha, Gary Teichmann, Joel Stransky, François Pienaar, Kevin de Klerk, Breyton Paulse and Kobus Wiese, to name but a few, share the many challenges they faced and the different strategies they employed on the road to establishing the single factor that, more than any other, lies at the root of their business success. Filled with entertaining anecdotes, sound practical advice and pioneering business models, From Locker Room to Boardroom provides a unique and fascinating approach to achieving success in the commercial world.

Our Blood is Green
Our Blood is Green

Author: Gavin Rich

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Published: 2020-10-15

Total Pages: 452

ISBN-13: 1788851862

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The leaping Springbok on the green jersey of South Africa is one of the most iconic emblems in world rugby. At the same time, no symbol in world sport has ever done so much to divide – and then unite – a nation. Respected by opponents and supported passionately by South Africans, the Springboks have been a powerhouse rugby nation for over a century, yet the emblem that now sits alongside the Protea on the chests of the players was once a symbol of violent oppression in apartheid South Africa, the epitome of the white man's dominance over people of colour in the Republic. Told in the words of Springboks past and present, Our Blood is Green explores what it means to play for South Africa – from schoolboy dreams to the sacrifices required to make it to the very top – as well as the myriad difficulties the players have faced over the years, from the horrors of apartheid through to the emerging rainbow nation in the 1990s and the multi-cultural World Cup-winning team of today. It is a fascinating, powerful and poignant read that explores the unity of a brotherhood that fights to transcend race, culture and class while simultaneously striving to become the best team on the planet. Our Blood is Green examines what it truly means to be a Springbok and it is told the only way it can be – by the players themselves.