Rassie: Stories of Life and Rugby

Book Synopsis: Rassie Erasmus has been called a genius. He’s been called reckless. All his life, he’s done things differently. Now, with his trademark candour, Rassie talks openly about his adventures and misadventures. He reveals the turmoil of living with an alcoholic father and growing up in the conservative town of Despatch. He looks back on an exemplary career as a player, whose innate rugby instincts, ability to read a game differently, and appetite for hard work set him apart. While his teammates relaxed, he preferred to watch hours of video to devise winning strategies. When given the opportunity to lead his country as Springbok captain, he refused the honour. Rassie recalls how he became an important cog in Nick Mallett’s record-breaking Springbok team of the late 1990s. He remembers the anguish of the 1999 World Cup and the devastating injuries that cut short his playing career. He discusses his revolutionary coaching methods, which were initially laughed off and then eagerly adopted, how he fought the rugby establishment at the Stormers and earned the respect of Irish fans at Munster. Rassie talks about his greatest contribution to South African rugby, appointing its first black captain, Siya Kolisi, without much fanfare or controversy, as his bold plans for effective racial transformation of the national team achieved immediate success, culminating in triumph at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Readers will enjoy the behind-the-scenes information about interactions and controversies and previously untold stories from a truly maverick life.