Between the lines - Matthew Knight

It's in the early morning, usually on dry, icy cold, thorn-strewn fields, that rugby legends are created. The boys are kaalvoet, the linesmen are spectators, sometimes unwillingly plucked from the makeshift stands, and the aroma of boerewors on hot coals drifts across the field. It is here that the love for the game of rugby is born, where passion is first ignited.Between the Lines is a journey to the heart of South Africa's rugby spirit. Join Matthew Knight as he travels from Bishops in Cape Town - the birthplace of rugby in South Africa - to the hallowed corridors of Hilton College and Michaelhouse in KwaZulu-Natal, to Adelaide Gymnasium in the Eastern Cape, where the legendary Os du Randt played for the First XV, and Grey College in Bloemfontein, the undisputed nursery for future Springboks. Knight meticulously mines South Africa's rich rugby heritage and interviews some of the former and current greats of the game. Schalk Burger Snr and son, Skonk Nicholson (South Africa's longest-serving coach), Mark Andrews and Nick Mallett, among many others, share their memories of the game that has left an indelible impression on their lives, as well as the lives of those who cheered them on from the stands. This is Matthew Knight's quest to discover the foundation of Springbok success: schools' rugby.

Matthew Knight was educated at Selborne College and has studied Theology, History, Literature and Education. He is the co-author of Derby Day: South African Schoolboy Rugby that featured the historyand rugby of over 100 schools. He harbours ambitions of one day donning the Springbok green and scoring a try against the All Blacks, although he wishes to fi rst establish himself as a vital cog in the Guy's Hospital Vets XV.