South African Rugby Annual 2015 (Paperback, 44th edition)

The new-look South African Rugby Annual 2015 is the official record of the South African season and is widely considered to be the finest yearbook in world rugby. The unrivalled 'bible' of the game has definitively chronicled the game in this country for over four decades and this 44th edition represents a refreshing departure from previous editions in terms of editorial and design.

For starters, the 2015 edition, at 640 pages, will be by far the biggest Annual to date, while a more compact, user-friendly size and cleaner design will ensure that rugby fans will have more facts and figures at the disposal than ever before – and all presented in a refreshing manner.

For lovers of sporting trivia, the South African Rugby Annual 2015 doubles for the first time as a Springbok handbook, with hundreds of bite-sized facts and figures appearing throughout the book. For example, did you know that 2007 World Cup winner Schalk Burger made his Test debut just 17 years after his dad, Schalk senior played his last match? Or that Pieter ‘Slaptjips’ Rossouw scored the fastest-ever Springbok hat-trick, in just seven minutes? Or that the Webb Ellis Cup was already 81 years old when it was first presented at the 1987 World Cup?

Trivia apart, the Annual is also the official and definitive resource for the upcoming 2015 IRB Rugby World Cup, with a dedicated section providing every stat imaginable for Springbok fans, including the result of every World Cup match ever played!

The 2015 edition will also establish the Annual as a leading sporting journal, with a host of best-selling authors contributing articles that add fascinating and previously unpublished new chapters to the unique and colourful saga of South African rugby.

Dan Retief, who has written about Springbok rugby for more than four decades, uncovers the fascinating and little-known story of a New Zealand rugby team who swept all before them in South Africa years before the Springboks and All Blacks first met, while Craig Ray, who wrote 2007 Rugby World Cup winning coach Jake White’s autobiography, provides a personal insight into what it takes to win the ultimate prize in world rugby.

With its unrivalled mix of Springbok trivia, cutting-edge research and every record imaginable, the South African Rugby Annual 2015 will continue to settle arguments at braais across the land, while continuing to be the perfect gift for rugby fans of all ages.