Rugby Changed My World by Peter Bills & Heindrich Wyngaard

Rugby Changed My World (Collectible Springbok Rugby Biography, First Edition)

The Life of Springbok Ashwin Willemse, from a Deprived Childhood to the Rugby World Cup Stage

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Rugby Changed My World: The Ashwin Willemse Story
• Authors: Peter Bills & Heindrich Wyngaard
• Editor: Heindrich Wyngaard
• Publisher: GreenSmile Consulting, Johannesburg
• Publication Date: 2015
• ISBN-13: 9780620678803
• Edition Details: First published 2015. Standard softcover release.
• Binding: Publisher's illustrated black picture-printed paperback wrappers, perfect bound.
• Physical Format: Large softcover (trade paperback) format. Text only, without plates or maps.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good (VG)
• Exterior / Wraps: Black picture-printed wrappers with legible spine text. The front cover shows light wear and a pale crease line along the spine hinge. There is a small white spot or nick at the top of the spine, with light rubbing along the edges. The back cover carries a small pale mark near the lower left corner. The corners are slightly rubbed.
• Interior: The text block is clean and the binding is tight. The pages are cream-coloured with slight toning at the edges. No markings, highlighting or ex-library stamps were seen.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Rugby Changed My World: The Ashwin Willemse Story, published in Johannesburg in 2015, chronicles the life and career of Springbok rugby player Ashwin Willemse. It follows him from a deprived childhood, with a teenage mother, an absent father and early involvement with gangs and drugs, through a suicide attempt to an unlikely rise in the sport.

The narrative traces his path to the Springboks, where he played in two Rugby World Cup tournaments and won Player of the Year honours in his 2003 debut season. It also follows his later career as an analyst, speaker and entrepreneur.

It is a frank and human account of how sport offered a way out of hardship, and it adds a personal chapter to the story of South African rugby in the post-apartheid era. A useful copy for collectors of South African sporting biography.

Author Profile: Peter Bills & Heindrich Wyngaard

Peter Bills is a former rugby columnist for the Irish Independent and the Belfast Telegraph, and the author of more than twenty sports books, most of them on rugby union. His works include The Jersey, a study of the All Blacks that reached number one in New Zealand's bestseller lists, as well as Le Coq and Triumphs, Trophies and Troubles.

Heindrich Wyngaard is a South African journalist, social commentator and motivational speaker who has presented on television and radio and held senior editorial positions at two mainstream newspapers. He has also written a book on Peter de Villiers, the first black Springbok coach, and A Home for Zephany.

Ashwin Willemse biography · Rugby Changed My World · Springbok rugby biography · Peter Bills rugby book · Heindrich Wyngaard · South African rugby memoir