Captain in the Cauldron

(Cape Town: Highbury Safika Media, 2009) 9780620447515. 195 x 124 mm; laminated pictorial wrappers; pp. (iv) + viii + 291, incl. index; full-colour plates and illustrations to inner wraps. Fine condition. "John Smit is the world's most capped Test captain and an icon of South African rugby. Under his leadership the Springboks have won a World Cup, two Tri-Nations titles and a Test series against the British & Irish Lions. In this autobiography, Smit reveals for the first time: What it takes to lead the world's most complex rugby team; The inner workings of South African rugby politics; His relationship with World Cup-winning Springbok coach Jake White and his successor Peter de Villiers; How the 2007 World Cup was won and why the 2003 World Cup was an unmitigated disaster; The most complete account of Kamp Staaldraad ever published; How he inadvertently contributed to Springbok coach Nick Mallett losing his job; Why losing the 2007 Super 14 final to the Bulls remains the low point of his career; How South Africa's most celebrated Springbok lost the respect of the national squad; Why Luke Watson was a cancer in the Springbok squad; Why the 2009 British & Irish Lions are a bitter memory. Smit doesn't avoid any incident, and entertains with a refreshing willingness to speak openly and honestly about his world, through facts, opinions and anecdotes." .