In his inimitable and entertaining style, veteran journalist Michael Green has produced another engrossing page-turner which delves into rugby’s hidden underbelly.
Green succeeds in keeping readers captivated from start to finish in Pale Toe! Avonture in die rugbywêreld.
Pale Toe (Go for Poles) is a sequel to Green’s highly successful Stryd van die Reuse (Battle of the Giants) which was released in 2024.
Apart from rugby books, Green has also written several acclaimed fictional works under the pseudonym RR Ryger.
He became widely known after he wrote an article for Scope magazine, in which a photo of him appeared sitting on the toilet with his trousers around his ankles, and he was described as the craziest writer in SA.
Green’s fictional works are typical of a subculture of nihilism and an abuse of sex, alcohol and drugs, with a focus on lower middle class people.
It is not surprising, therefore, that Green is not your run-of-the-mill rugby writer, and he displays an ability to shock and entertain in Pale Toe!
The chapters on well-known EP rugby personality Thando Manana and former EP Elephants coach Peter “Snorre” de Villiers will be enjoyed by rugby followers in Gqeberha.
Green writes about some wonderful characters who have displayed their talents on the rugby field over the years, such as Kwagga Smith, Beast Mtawarira, Percy Montgomery, Hannes Marais, Eben Olivier, Schalk Ferreira and Delarey Du Preez.
In the early 2000s, former Springbok captain Joost van der Westhuizen visited Gqeberha to give a talk at the Boardwalk Conference Centre.
At the time, Van der Westhuizen was embroiled in a media storm after allegedly being involved with a stripper.
When he took the stage, he demanded to know if any journalists were present.
“If there are any journalists here, I advise you to leave before I attack you.
“Otherwise you better sit still and write nothing about what I say here,” Van der Westhuizen said.
Green writes that if Van der Westhuizen had taken him aside, he would have told him he really did not care about what was going on in his private life.
“I was previously the editor of the sex magazine Loslyf, so when it came to strippers, drink, drugs and whorehouses, there was not much Joost could tell me,” he said.
Enough of scandals and back to the main theme of rugby and its lively cast of characters.
Green says Manana is remembered more for his decision not to take part in a Springbok initiation ceremony (kontiki) in 2000 rather than his impressive deeds on the field.
Manana, a larger-than-life character, declined to be initiated during his time at EP and also at Griquas.
Green writes that Manana was alarmed to hear that similar initiations were conducted by the Springboks.
“I know of guys who had snooker sticks broken on their bottoms, and I absolutely decided not to take part in this,” Manana said.
His argument was that as a Xhosa he had already undergone an initiation to become a man, and the nonsense of what happened at some kontikis was not part of his culture.
Manana did not have a problem reading the Springbok creed, but he declined to drink a terrible concoction when it was given to him.
Green says there have been many scary and sometimes funny stories of Boks being initiated.
One of them involved former EP and Springbok prop Anton Barnard, who made his international debut against the Jaguars in Pretoria in 1984.
“My buttocks bled because of the way the guys hit them,” Barnard said.
“I had to tell a joke, and nobody laughed.”
Barnard’s front row partner, Attie Strauss, was also given a workover.
“He was blindfolded, and when we looked again, somebody had put Errol Tobias’ false teeth in his mouth.”
Green also offers an insight into De Villiers’ tenure in the coaching hotseat at the EP Elephants and the ill-fated Spears.
He says De Villiers had a low opinion of rugby writers, claiming they were frustrated people who attempted to make themselves look clever after failing to achieve anything on the field.
Green says De Villiers, however, thanked him for playing a part in his appointment as the Bok coach.
After the Spears vanished because of money problems, Green phoned De Villiers to find out what he was doing.
De Villiers told Green he was doing nothing, and his ensuing article helped the out-of-work coach to become involved with a club.
He later thanked Green for ensuring he did not vanish entirely from the rugby scene.
In 2020, De Villiers suddenly reappeared in Gqeberha as EP’s new coach.
“In the beginning, De Villiers went out of his way to make things easier for the local media to have access to the team and make things easier,” Green said.
“In one interview he told the media to write a particular sentence which would make them look like they knew something about rugby.
“However, as EP began losing matches, the lines of communication between De Villiers and the media deteriorated.”
There is also a fascinating chapter on an abandoned Varsity Cup match between the NMU Madibaz and Stellenbosch in Gqeberha in 2018.
The game was abandoned with the Maties leading 19-0 in the second half after protesting students threw chairs on the field and threatened the players.
A private suite hosting dignitaries and Southern Kings and current Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids came under attack when students attempted to kick down the entrance door.
When the media centre was invaded, Green decided that discretion was the better part of valour and opted to run the gauntlet of protesters to make a getaway.
To find out what happened next, you will have to buy the book, which is on sale at most bookshops and rugbyboek.co.za for R240.
The launch is at Union Olympics Sports Club in St George’s Park at 6pm on Wednesday, and Green says all rugby enthusiasts are welcome to attend.
The Herald
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