Between the Lines: The Spirit of South African Rugby

It's in the early morning, usually on dry, icy cold, thorn-strewn fields, that rugby legends are created. The boys are kaalvoet, the linesmen are spectators, sometimes unwillingly plucked from the makeshift stands, and the aroma of boerewors on hot coals drifts across the field. It is here that the love for the game of rugby is born, where passion is first ignited. Between the lines is a journey - in part a physical pilgrimage around South Africa, but also a journey on a metaphysical level -- to get to the heart of South Africa's rugby spirit and discover the roots of many of the current issues facing the game, especially at a grassroots level. The author has talked to many of the men who were once those boys on those roughly chalked fields. He has visited the schools they went to, where they honed their skills and learned from those who came before them. From Bishops in Cape Town, the birthplace of rugby in South Africa, to Hilton College and Michaelhouse in KwaZulu-Natal, to Adelaide Gymnasium in the Eastern Cape, where the legendary Os du Randt played for the First XV, and Grey College in Bloemfontein, the undisputed nursery for future Springboks, Knight meticulously mines South Africa's rich rugby heritage and interviews some of the former and current greats of the game. Schalk Burger Snr and son, Skonk Nicholson (South Africa's longest-serving coach) and Keith and Mark Andrews, among many others, share their memories of the game that has left an indelible impression on their lives, as well as the lives of those who cheered them on from the stands.