SA Rugby Annual 2014 launched

Feb 13 • General News, International, Springboks • 1816 Views • Comments Off on SA Rugby Annual 2014 launched

Photo caption: Springbok captain and South African Rugby Player of the Year, Jean de Villiers, shows off the 43rd and latest edition of the SA Rugby Annual, which was launched at the SARU Awards in Johannesburg on Wednesday night.
Photo: Gallo Images.

The latest edition of the SA Rugby Annual, which has definitively chronicled South African rugby for the past four decades, hits the shelves on Thursday after being launched at the annual SARU Awards in Johannesburg on Wednesday night.

The SA Rugby Annual 2014 is the official record of the South African season and this 43rd edition once again crams a host of previously unpublished facts and statistics into its 512 pages. For instance, it lists all 767 matches – including 428 Tests in 73 venues worldwide – played by South Africa since 1891, and features detailed biographies of all 854 Springboks, from the very first, Ben Duff, to the latest player to receive a Springbok number, Pieter-Steph du Toit.

“The SA Rugby Annual is not known as the ‘bible’ of the game for nothing and we like to think of it as one of, if not the best, yearbook in world rugby,” said SARU CEO, Jurie Roux. “The saga of South African rugby has been unfolding for over a century and each passing season adds yet another fascinating chapter to the story.

“On the one hand, the Annual is there to record what happened for future generations, but it’s also very handy for the supporter who wants to settle any rugby argument around the braai on a Saturday afternoon. If you wanted to know anything about SA rugby but didn’t know where to go looking for the answer, the Annual is for you.”

The SA Rugby Annual 2014, amongst other things, records the more than 200 first-class matches involving South African teams in 2013, as well as the detailed biographies of each and every one of the more than 850 players who appeared in those matches. It paints an unbeatable picture of a memorable year in South African rugby but also records the sport’s rich history with its comprehensive records section, while covering every tournament from the Castle Lager Rugby Championship to the Cell C Community Cup.

The SA Rugby Annual 2014 – The Official Yearbook of the South African Rugby Union (ISBN: 978-0-620-57859-2) is edited by Duane Heath & Eddie Grieb and is published by SARU & MWP Media. It is available through all leading retail and online outlets. Price is R195.