Rugby And The South African Nation

Conventional historical and political analyses of South Africa have frequently neglected the vital role of sport in general, and rugby in particular. This book fills the gap through a critical interpretation of rugby's role in the development of white society, its role in shaping significant social divisions, and its centrality to the apartheid era "power elite".

The meanings attached to sports in South African societies, past and present, are explored in this book, which focuses particularly on the part played by the prominent team sports of rugby, soccer and cricket in the creation of social divisions and unities over the course of South African history. In the past, only white South Africans could represent "South Africa" in international sport. Now, formerly white-dominated sports have been promoted as unifying forces for a nation in the process of forging a new national identity. The book considers the history and changing meanings attached to particular sports in the old and new South Africas, and how sport is being used and abused today.

The Extraordinary Book of South African Rugby will hook any rugby fanatic. Packed with facts, stats, quotes and anecdotes, from the comical to the controversial, this collection celebrates the rich history of South African rugby. This extraordinary book will run fans through the most enthralling stories to come out of South African rugby, including: How Manie Reyneke was late for his wedding reception after playing a club semi-final; the 90-metre penalty by Oostelikes; how the first Springboks to travel by plane limped over the ocean on three engines; how Kimberley travelled 60 hours by mule wagon on their first tour to Cape Town; how Springbok Andy MacDonald killed a lion with his bare hands; the spectator tackle that cost Western Province the Currie Cup; Paul Roos' weekly 260 km cycle to Pretoria to play club rugby.

This book provides an interpretation of sport in contemporary South Africa through an historical account of the evolution and social ramifications of sport in the twentieth century. It comprises chapters which trace the growth of sports such as football, cricket, surfing, boxing and rugby, and considers their relationship to aspects of racial identity, masculinity, femininity, political and social development in the country. The book also draws out the wider geo-political significance of South African sport, placing it in the context of the development of sport both elsewhere on the African continent and internationally. The history of sport has seen significant international growth over the past few decades. For the most part, however, the history of sport in Africa has remained largely untraced. By detailing the way in which sport’s development in South Africa overlapped with major socio-political processes on the wider African continent, this volume seeks to narrow the gap. This book was previously published as a special issue of the International Journal of the History of Sport.

This book represents the point of view of the modern non-racial sports movement within South Africa, describes the historical and social context of the movement and gives reasons for its continuing vitality.

Read the book that inspired the Academy Award and Golden Globe winning 2009 film INVICTUS featuring Morgan Freeman and Matt Daymon, directed by Clint Eastwood. Beginning in a jail cell and ending in a rugby tournament—the true story of how the most inspiring charm offensive in history brought South Africa together. After being released from prison and winning South Africa’s first free election, Nelson Mandela presided over a country still deeply divided by fifty years of apartheid. His plan was ambitious if not far-fetched: use the national rugby team, the Springboks—long an embodiment of white-supremacist rule—to embody and engage a new South Africa as they prepared to host the 1995 World Cup. The string of wins that followed not only defied the odds, but capped Mandela’s miraculous effort to bring South Africans together again in a hard-won, enduring bond.

The year 2011 marked an important milestone in the life of rugby in South Africa -- the first rugby game was played on South African soil in 1861, making this the 150th year of the sport in South Africa. Wim van der Berg follows the development of the game from its earliest beginnings at Bishops school in Cape Town to its status as a national obsession. Meet the players, the teams and the men in charge throughout the history of South African rugby, and share the highs and lows of the game -- the euphoria of the World Cup win at Ellis Park in 1995, the long days of sporting isolation, the chaos of segregated rugby administration under apartheid, and the dedication of players who travelled five days by mule-wagon and by train from Kimberley to Cape Town to play a match in 1884. The players change over the years, the rules and scoring systems change, but the spirit of the game is enduring -- inspiring generations of players and spectators. Van der Berg follows the changes in provincial rugby, the move from an amateur game to professionalism, the growth of the major competitions that TV viewers follow so passionately, but never loses sight of the people behind the game -- the players, the coaches, the administrators and the fans. Included are detailed statistics on the Currie Cup and international matches through the 150 years of rugby's history in South Africa -- who played, who scored, final scores and more.