2019 SA Rugby Annual is Out
The magnificent South African Rugby Annual 2019 is now available. It is the 48th edition and, if anything, better than the 47 that went before it .
The 2019 Annual is a record of many, many aspects of South African rugby up to the end of 2018. Essentially it is a record of past events, though there are details for the World Cup starting in Japan on 20 September 2019. And then there is a record of World Cups past.
There are surprising statistics.
There are lists -the nearly 300 South Africans playing abroad in 2018 and another list of some 230 South Africans who have played for some 20 other countries, starting with Henry Anderson in 1903.
There are pen pictures of those who played in first class rugby last year, from their date and place of birth, through their schools to a record of their playing achievements.
There are the names of all the players who went to Craven Week in 2018, and a list of SA Schools players since 1974.
It will tell you how the Springboks fared last year and biographical information on South Africa’s international players, starting in 1891.
There are the 2018 performances of Springboks, Blitzbokke, Women Springboks, Junior Springboks and SA Schools.
There are full records of Super Rugby, Currie Cup and Supersport Challenge, the Under-21, Under-20 and Under-19 competitions.
There is finally a section of some 30 obituaries.
The book itself does justice to its content, for it is a really classy book.
In fact this is a book well worth having. This short review does not do it justice. South African rugby can justifiably be proud of this splendid book – yet again.
To start with, it’s so good to have a book, and such a splendid book.
Title: South African Rugby Annual 2019
Editors: Duane Heath, Eddie Grieb, Kobus Smit and Stephen Nell
Design: Ryan Manning
Published by the South African Rugby Union
480 pages
Soft cover
Illustrated throughout in colours and black and white
ISBN 978-0-620-81808-7
Available at www.exclusivebooks.co.za. Recommended retail price is R250. Copies can also be ordered directly from publishers’ representatives Blue Weaver, at www.blueweaver.co.za.
