For The Love of Rugby by Rob Louw & John Cameron-Dow
For The Love of Rugby (Signed & Inscribed Springbok Rugby Autobiography)
The Inside Story of a Springbok Great, Inscribed by Rob Louw in the Year of Publication
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: For The Love of Rugby
- Authors: Rob Louw & John Cameron-Dow
- Publisher: Hans Strydom Publishers, Melville, South Africa
- Publication Date: 1987
- ISBN-10: 0947025162
- Edition Details: Published 1987. Inscribed and signed by Rob Louw, dated 15/7/87.
- Binding: Publisher's red cloth hardcover with printed dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Octavo hardcover.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Exterior / Boards: The red cloth boards are clean and bright, with no visible damage. The corners are sound. The spine lettering appears on the dust jacket only. The page edges are tanned with age.
- Interior: The text block is clean and appears tight. The pages are toned with age. No foxing, markings or tears are visible. The front free endpaper carries the author's inscription.
- Provenance: Inscribed on the front free endpaper: "Emile Muller, With regards, Rob Louw, 15/7/87".
- The Dust Jacket: Present, and protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover. The jacket is clean and bright, with slight toning to the back panel and a small red spot on the spine. The edges are sound.
Synopsis & Historical Value
For The Love of Rugby is the autobiography of Rob Louw, one of the best known and most controversial Springbok players of his generation. Written with John Cameron-Dow and published in Melville in 1987, it presents his own account of his career for the first time.
The narrative follows Louw from his schooldays through his Springbok years and the New Zealand tests to his move to rugby league with Wigan. He writes candidly about being dropped on the New Zealand tour, the treatment of Errol Tobias, the running of tours, and the role of the Broederbond in rugby.
As a frank player's-eye view of South African rugby in the 1980s, it is of interest to collectors of sporting memoir and to readers of the politics that surrounded the game in that decade. This copy carries the author's signed inscription, dated 15/7/87.
Author Profile: Rob Louw
Rob Louw was born on 26 March 1955 and played 19 Tests for the Springboks, scoring five tries. He was nominated South African Rugby Player of the Year in 1979 and 1984, and starred in the 1980 side that beat the British Lions.
In 1985 he joined the English rugby league club Wigan, a code switch he made at much the same time as Ray Mordt.
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