Rugby Stories from the Platteland

The heart and spirit of rugby described in Graham’s book is still evident today, but the way the game was played—on a Saturday afternoon, on a dusty field, after a long day ploughing—is not. Somehow all this became overshadowed by the glamour of large clubs and competitions, fuelled by modern technology and communication. In this book Graham tells the stories, some dating back 100 years, of those recently arrived for work in a strange town on the platteland who, to be accepted by the community, had to play rugby. From labourers and mechanics to clerks and farmers, these are their stories and each one is unique. From the Northern Cape and Luderitz, down the west coast, into the Eastern Cape and through the Free State and Mpumalanga, Graham has recorded stories, as told to him, that will have you in stitches. Graham’s style of writing is reminiscent of campfire (or perhaps braais and boerewors) storytelling, the humour lying in all the deviations and asides the story makes along the way.