Vibrant book for a champion team
The SA Rugby Annual 2010 - the official and definitive record of one of the most successful seasons in the history of South African rugby - will go on sale before Christmas for the first time in its 39-year-history.
The SA Rugby Annual is widely regarded as one of the best rugby yearbooks in the global game and once again the country’s top rugby writers, photographers, statisticians and historians have teamed up to produce a vibrant 480-page full-colour record of a season which saw the Springboks beat the British & Irish Lions and win the Tri-Nations; the Springbok Sevens team claim the IRB Sevens Series trophy; and the Bulls sweep all before them in the Super 14.
For the first time ever, the 2010 Annual also contains the names of every one of the hundreds of players who took to the field in official SA Rugby tournaments from the Tri-Nations to the Under-13 Coca-Cola Craven Week; the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International to the SAA National Club Championships.
The bit about the 2010 Varsity Cup was written by the tournament's Media Manager Howard Kahn, along with quotes from Maties coach Chean Roux, and it also includes all the results and statistics from the 2010 tournament.
There is also talk of perhaps dedicating a few more pages in the 2011 annual to the Varsity Cup and, thereby, along with it more dedicated and in-depth stats to accompany it. (Watch this space!)
The 2010 Rugby Annual also records the result of every one of the 231 first-class matches involving South African teams that took place in 2009, as well as updated biographies of each of the 745 players who appeared in those games - a host of whom passed through either the 2008 or 2009 Varsity Cup tournaments.
A comprehensive records section will also settle any argument, or answer any question about South African rugby, as it records every player to have pulled on the Springbok jersey since 1891 - from Benjamin Duff (1) to Jean Deysel (814).
The SA Rugby Annual 2010 is the 'bible' of the game in South Africa, and essential reading for every player, coach, administrator, sponsor and fan - as well as an invaluable keepsake for the players whose names appear in the book, thereby forever making them a part of a once-in-a-lifetime season they can tell their grandchildren about.
The SA Rugby Annual 2010 is published by SARU and MWP Media and co-edited by well-known rugby journalist Duane Heath and official SARU statistician Eddie Grieb.
It will go on sale in bookstores from Friday, December 18, at a retail price of R195.