Wynie Strydom was jare lank ’n onmiddellik herkenbare figuur op die kantlyn van elke Blou Bullewedstryd, plaaslik en in die buiteland.

As die Blou Bulle se spanbestuurder het hy oor 17 veelbewoë jare heen die hoogte- en laagtepunte en die suksesse en mislukkings van sy gunstelingspan beleef. In hierdie boek vat Wynie Strydom en sy medeskrywer, Alita Steenkamp, die leser op sy lewenspad wat maar altyd met rugby vervleg was.

Dit is onontbeerlik vir alle rugbyliefhebbers, ongeag watter span hulle ondersteun.

Errol Tobias se verkiesing tot Springbok was onmiddelik omstrede. In 1980 word hy ons eerste swart Springbok rugbyspeler – te midde van internasionale sport-isolasie en groeiende protes weens die regeringsbeleid. In Errol Tobias: Suiwer Goud vertel hy openhartig van sy sportloopbaan: vanaf kindsbeen tot met die groot oomblikke in die groen-en-goud, die vreugdes, die verlies, en die omstredenheid.

Die waarheid agter legendariese rugbywedstryde word onthul, soos die Suid-Amerikaanse toer waar Tobias ’n rekord gebreek het, en die rampspoedige Nieu-Seeland-toer waar protesaksie teen die Springbokspan oorweldigend geword het. Hy skryf oor sy hegte vriendskap met Springboklegende Rob Louw, en die onwrikbare ondersteuning van Danie ‘Dok’ Craven. Hier is ook Tobias se opinie oor vandag se kwotastelsels.

Baie ander mense het al hul opinie oor Errol Tobias en sy rol in Suid-Afrikaanse rugby gelewer. Hier is sý kant van die saak.

The Black & White Story traces the long and proud 125 year history of the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union and their team The Sharks.

The Natal Rugby Union, later renamed the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union, was founded in 1890 and there have been many heroes in the 125 years. Some of them were players, others administrators; and then of course there were the men who spent hours on training fields with schools, clubs and province, and those who refereed matches at all levels.

Natal only won fifty per cent of their Currie Cup matches in their first 60 years and then came the surprise first final in 1956 when a gust of wind cost them the title. It took sixty-six years for the union to enjoy its first Currie Cup final.

But the province did produce its fair share of quality players, including Springboks Bill Payne, Wally Clarkson and Philip Nel, who led South Africa on the country’s unbeaten tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1937.

Two of those coaches, in particular, turned the fortunes of Natal around in the years before they became known as the Sharks. Izak van Heerden became world-renowned for his tactics and emphasis on skills to play running rugby. This transformed Natal into a real power and also a crowd favourite. And fifteen years later Ian McIntosh identified a (totally different) ‘new style’. This put Natal at the forefront following some lean years and bore fruit when they won the Currie Cup for a first time in 1990.

Retold in detail is the wonderful 25 year period following The Sharks first Currie Cup win in 1990 (after being a team playing B section rugby in the 1980s), of the construction of Kings Park Stadium, and how today, The Sharks (previously known as The Banana Boys) have become one of the leading rugby brands in the world.

It is the world's oldest and most famous ultramarathon. South Africa's Comrades Marathon has teased, tormented and tortured runners from all over the world since 1921. Those who have endured it say it changes lives, speaks to the soul and turns the ordinary into extraordinary. According to many, it is liberating.

Bob de la Motte should know. Winner of five Comrades medals, including three golds, his grit and determination during several epic duels with nine-time winner Bruce Fordyce enthralled the world throughout what was arguably the marathon's defining passage in the politically charged 1980s.

In this extraordinary, compassionate, candid, humorous and captivating personal memoir, Bob explains his fascination and passion for the most famous ultramarathon in the world and recounts the truth behind the hyped-up rivalry. He explores allegations of cheating and blood doping, highlights the hypocrisy in South African and international sport and elaborates on his decision to join the Chicken Run to Australia. He also provides fascinating perspectives on international politics and business on four continents and gives a crystal ball insight into the future of the Comrades Marathon.

For runners, sportspeople, sports lovers and those who simply enjoy a damned good read, Runaway Comrade will inevitably be your best buy of the year!

When Mark Boucher played his first game of cricket for South Africa, a senior player took him aside and bluntly told him he was the worst wicketkeeper ever to play in the national side. Over a decade later, when Bouch finally retired with a plethora of records under his belt and to huge acclaim from the public, he took grim satisfaction in relating this piece of history.

Through My Eyes is the story of a man with remarkable sporting prowess. Born into a sports-mad family in East London, he excelled in squash, tennis and rugby before choosing cricket as his preferred sport. His extraordinary achievements on the field are well known - he was voted SA player of the year in 1998, 2000 and 2006. What is not so well known, and makes up much of this book, are the behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes. Stories of staring down the barrel of defeat and of celebrating victory; of developing strong bonds with teammates Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and others that go way beyond mere friendship. What emerges is the image of a man who always fought for the underdog, whose never-say-die attitude inspires those around him.

Bouch's career was brought to a dramatic end on a cricket pitch in England when the bail of a stump punctured his left eye. But, in his own words, "I lost sight but gained vision".

True to his character of gritty determination, Bouch has rededicated his life to a new cause, that of the environment and particularly the critically endangered rhino.

Coach: The Life And Soccer Times Of Clive Barker is the insightful biography of Clive Barker, South Africa’s longest-serving national football coach and arguably the most successful following Bafana Bafana’s win in 1996 at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. With the help of writer Michael Marnewick, Barker reveals himself as a modest man, a dedicated husband and father, and a force to be reckoned with in the football fraternity, both in Mzansi and in the rest of the continent.

Coach examines Barker’s life from his pre-coaching days and how he avoided bankruptcy by driving taxis, to his early coaching jobs at amateur level, into the professional ranks with Durban City, then Bush Bucks, to AmaZulu and ultimately to the position as national coach. Delving back into his early pre-coaching days, the book gives the reader a glimpse of the man himself, while anecdotes from former players, at both club and international level, provide an in-depth but entertaining look into his coaching style and ability. In-between the book explores the politics of the time, including Clive’s opposition to apartheid; his take on witchcraft practices in local football; the success at the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations; and the positive and powerful influence of Nelson Mandela, the national football team’s talisman.

Barker’s journey wasn’t always smooth sailing and he had his detractors who felt he was too chummy with his players, who felt he was not technically savvy or tactical enough, or who disagreed with his relaxed but focused methods, which were proven over and again to yield results. What comes across so clearly in this book is the love and respect Barker had for his players and that they, in turn, had for him. He treated them as adults and they never faltered in their desire to please him, although Mark Fish may have crossed the line a few times.