If the red stiletto heeled-shoe on the cover of this book does not let you know who it is meant for, then the title, The Girlfriend's Guide to Rugby should do it.
With tongue firmly in cheek, Jaco Louw, a former professional rugby player, sets out to explain to women the ins and outs of the sport - the stuff your boyfriend would not want you to know - in the interest of keeping the sanctity of the macho sport intact.
Accompanied by hilarious illustrations, Jaco breaks the game down for anyone to understand.
He explains who each player is - if you had always associated terms such as "hooker" or "prop" with something else, he breaks it down for you.
He dissects tactics, the laws of the game, the four aspects of rugby - and he even advises you, the girlfriend, to pick a team your man hates, just to annoy him.
He writes about the referee's role and punishment measures available to them, as well as playing options employed by teams.
A disappointment for me is that Louw fails to tell anecdotes of his playing days, especially funny stories through the eyes of a girlfriend that would have made the reading not only educational, but fun.
Confident that he has fully done his duty in educating females about the nitty gritty of the game of rough and tumble, Louw thoughtfully included this season's key matches at the end of the book: the full British Lions tour of South Africa, the TriNations tournament, the Six Nations and the Super 14.
TITLE: The Girlfriend's Guide to Rugby
AUTHOR: Jaco Louw
PUBLISHERS: 30 Degrees South
REVIEWER: Linda Moreotsene
GIVING WOMEN A PEEK INTO RUGBY
If the red stiletto heeled-shoe on the cover of this book does not let you know who it is meant for, then the title, The Girlfriend's Guide to Rugby should do it.
With tongue firmly in cheek, Jaco Louw, a former professional rugby player, sets out to explain to women the ins and outs of the sport - the stuff your boyfriend would not want you to know - in the interest of keeping the sanctity of the macho sport intact.
Accompanied by hilarious illustrations, Jaco breaks the game down for anyone to understand.
He explains who each player is - if you had always associated terms such as "hooker" or "prop" with something else, he breaks it down for you.
He dissects tactics, the laws of the game, the four aspects of rugby - and he even advises you, the girlfriend, to pick a team your man hates, just to annoy him.
He writes about the referee's role and punishment measures available to them, as well as playing options employed by teams.
A disappointment for me is that Louw fails to tell anecdotes of his playing days, especially funny stories through the eyes of a girlfriend that would have made the reading not only educational, but fun.
Confident that he has fully done his duty in educating females about the nitty gritty of the game of rough and tumble, Louw thoughtfully included this season's key matches at the end of the book: the full British Lions tour of South Africa, the TriNations tournament, the Six Nations and the Super 14.
TITLE: The Girlfriend's Guide to Rugby
AUTHOR: Jaco Louw
PUBLISHERS: 30 Degrees South
REVIEWER: Linda Moreotsene