Writer shares captivating stories of Springbok players
A veteran sports journalist shares 'the untold stories that make the Boks great', coupled with photographs and illustrations.
A SPORTS journalist’s newly published book, The Fireside Springbok, is a collection of captivating stories about players, both past and present.
Mike Greenaway, who played for the Amanzimtoti Rugby Club for many years, has always had a passion for writing. For the club’s 75th anniversary, he published a book titled Hearts of the Terriers, which captured its history and vision.
Also read: Amanzimtoti Rugby Club releases 75th-anniversary book
During the Covid-19 lockdown, with some extra time on his hands, he decided to jot down some of the experiences he had in his then 25-year sports journalism career. This soon turned into a project – writing about ‘the untold stories that make the Boks great’, coupled with photographs and illustrations. For example, it features a story of a player who killed a lion with his bare hands.
“This entailed visiting rugby museums, researching, obtaining memorabilia from collectors, as well as collecting rare rugby programmes dating back to the 1890s. It took over a year to compile, and about nine months to write it. It ended up perfectly coinciding with the Rugby World Cup. I’ve received so much positive feedback, including a 10/10 book review by Andy Capostagno,” he said.
Also read: Amanzimtoti celebrates the Springboks’ victory [Videos]
Greenaway began his journalism career in 1993, writing for a magazine before transitioning to newspapers and eventually specialising in rugby. “My journey started by covering The Sharks, eventually leading me to focus on the Springboks,” he said.
Greenaway added that this year’s Rugby World Cup was the best one yet. “The Springboks came up against some really good teams in the pool. Their quarter-final game alone was deserving of a spot in the final,” he said.
The veteran journalist’s best advice for any journalist is to read. “The more you read, the better you write,” said Greenaway.
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