Nick & I, an Adventure in Rugby by Van Der Valk,Rob;Colquhoun,Andy
Nick & I: An Adventure in Rugby
The Explosive, Behind-the-Scenes Journey Inside the Boardroom Deals, Initiations, and Egos of Springbok Rugby
The Explosive, Behind-the-Scenes Journey Inside the Boardroom Deals, Initiations, and Egos of Springbok Rugby
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Nick & I: An Adventure in Rugby
- Author: Rob van der Valk (with Andy Colquhoun)
- Publisher: Don Nelson, Cape Town
- Publication Date: 2002
- ISBN-10: 1868062058
- ISBN-13: 9781868062058
- Edition Details: First Edition, First Printing. Standard Softcover Release.
- Binding: Original publisher’s premium illustrated heavy-gauge card wrappers with laminated pictorial covers (paperback).
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 224 pages. Superbly enhanced with high-quality central gloss inserts featuring full-colour match, team, and behind-the-scenes photography.
- Language: English [1, 2, 3]
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Used - Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Wraps: The laminated pictorial covers are structurally solid, bright, and clean, showing only minimal, highly limited signs of standard shelf wear along the edges. The paperback wrappers sit flat and square. The spine is pristine, completely straight, uncreased, and unbroken, proving the book has been highly looked after thus far.
- Interior: The internal text block is robustly bound, tight, and highly crisp. All 224 leaves are clean, bright white, and completely intact. The text remains entirely free of modern user underlying, highlighting, ex-libris library stamps, owner name inscriptions, or dealer markings. [1]
- The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 2002 during a critical period of transition for South African sports, Nick & I: An Adventure in Rugby is an explosive, pull-no-punches exposé of the hidden underbelly of the professional game. Written by Rob van der Valk—the long-standing personal friend, confidant, and business manager of legendary coach Nick Mallett at club, provincial, and Springbok level—the narrative strips away public relations spin to lay bare the backroom deals, financial realities, and clashing egos that defined the late 1990s era. [1, 2]
Unflinchingly tackling sensitive structural issues surrounding race, money, and administrative politics, van der Valk maps out exactly why the national squad slipped down the international world rankings following their record-equaling 17-match winning streak. The text delivers highly compelling, intimate insider revelations: uncovering what really occurred in the national setup under Mallett; the controversial realities of Springbok initiation ceremonies; why a young Breyton Paulse was initially dismissed as not good enough; which player secured the most lucrative pay deal at the 1999 Rugby World Cup; and the strategic media maneuverings used to disguise Joost van der Westhuizen's sacking as national captain. For sports historians and purists tracking the transition of Rugby Union into full professionalism, this first-edition collectible copy stands as a vital, foundational primary archive. [1, 2]
Author Profile: Rob van der Valk & Andy Colquhoun
Rob van der Valk is a prominent South African sports manager, commercial agent, and corporate advisor. Operating as the ultimate insider during one of the most high-stakes, turbulent eras in modern Springbok history, his close dual role as both best friend and business manager to head coach Nick Mallett gave him unprecedented access to boardroom negotiations, contract distributions, and executive selection committee loops. His candid writing style bypasses traditional sports clichés to deliver unfiltered administrative truths. [1]
Andy Colquhoun is an exceptionally distinguished, award-winning international sports journalist, editor, and rugby historian. Having served for decades as a premier writer across major print media and as the long-standing editor of the authoritative South African Rugby Annual, Colquhoun is highly revered for his encyclopedic knowledge of the game's mechanics, statistical precision, and sharp narrative pacing. His structural assistance transforms van der Valk's raw first-hand accounts into a polished, gripping, and legally precise historical chronicle. [1]
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