Beast delays book launch after media storm

NEWS UPDATE: Springbok and Sharks prop Tendai Mtawarira has decided to delay the launch of his highly anticipated book.

The memoir, titled Beast, was set to be released on July 1, but will now be launched later in the year.

In a joint statement with his publishers, Pan Macmillan, Mtawarira said the decision was taken as a result of the media storm that erupted around the book.

“With the reaction of some commentators to a single paragraph from the book as a possible indicator of the level of media attention and interest, we felt it necessary to delay the release of the book,” the veteran Bok prop said.

“I did it in order to focus solely on my rugby, in preparation for possible inclusion in the World Cup squad,” Mtawarira added.

The book shares insights into Mtawarira’s personal journey, including his relationships with mentors and those who have helped to shape his career as a powerhouse of the South African rugby fraternity.

A new date for the book’s release will be communicated as soon as it has been finalised.

The change of release follows the fallout over Mtawarira’s comments about former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers in pre-releases of the book.

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In the book, there is a passage where Mtawarira’s comments could be described as critical of De Villiers.

“He [De Villiers] was a fantastic coach of the Junior Springboks, but I think at the high level, he was probably lucky that a very good group of players was handed over to him,” Mtawarira reported said in the book.

“His methods and approach didn’t really work with the Springboks, and as players, we had to be careful what we said to the media.

“What you said would get back to Peter and affect your place in the team. The media did not like Peter and thought he was a bit of a clown.

“There’s no doubt that he was happy to be at the forefront of a team that could operate on its own steam. Most of the work was done by the players, with Dick (Muir) and (Gary) Gold (Bok assistant coaches) very influential.”

However, Mtawarira and the book’s publisher have released a joint statement saying the above comments from Mtawarira was taken out of context.

Hey guys a lot has been said/insinuated the last few days regarding my soon to be released book.

Here’s a joint statement from myself and my publisher @PanMacmillanSA . Have a good evening pic.twitter.com/iTaHsKbZBD

— Tendai Mtawarira (@Beast_TM) June 18, 2019