Our Blood is Green: The Springboks in their Own Words

The Springbok, a symbol of violent oppression in apartheid South Africa, is now a symbol of unity and brotherhood among South Africans, fighting to transcend race, culture, and class while striving to become the best team on the planet.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 368 pages
\n Publication date: 15 October 2020
\n Publisher: Birlinn General
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The iconic Springbok on the green jersey of South Africa is one of the most recognizable emblems in the world of rugby. At the same time, no symbol in the world of sports has ever done so much to divide and then unite a nation.
Respected by opponents and passionately supported by South Africans, the Springboks have been a dominant rugby nation for over a century. However, the emblem that now sits alongside the Protea on the chests of the players was once a symbol of violent oppression in apartheid South Africa, the epitome of white man's dominance over people of color in the Republic.

Told in the words of Springboks past and present, "Our Blood is Green" explores what it means to play for South Africa – from schoolboy dreams to the sacrifices required to make it to the very top – as well as the myriad difficulties the players have faced over the years, from the horrors of apartheid to the emerging rainbow nation in the 1990s and the multi-cultural World Cup-winning team of today. It is a fascinating, powerful, and poignant read that explores the unity of a brotherhood that fights to transcend race, culture, and class while simultaneously striving to become the best team on the planet.

"Our Blood is Green" examines what it truly means to be a Springbok, and it is told only the way it can be – by the players themselves.

\n Weight: 620g\n
Dimension: 163 x 243 x 32 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781909715820\n \n