The blurb for The Centennial History of the Southland Rugby Football Union says: “From the deadening depths of player revolt in 1908 to the heady heights of consistent Ranfurly Shield success in the years surrounding World War II, Southland rugby has had more than its fair share of colourful moments.”

The author, Lynn McConnell, was sports editor of the Southland Times and spent five years researching and conducting interviews for this book.

FYI: The cover picture shows Brian McKechnie kicking the winning conversion when Southland beat France 12-11 in 1979. The back cover picture shows “Banty”, the rooster that was the Southland mascot.

The book is well-illustrated throughout with colour and b/w pictures and period cartoons. There are four stats-packed appendixes and an index.

Hardback with dustjacket in good clean condition (no inscriptions or price-clipping), approx. 18cm x 25cm, published in 1986 by Craig Printing Company, Invercargill (first edition). Maroon boards with gilt lettering on the spine. Faults include a small amount of tape residue to the front end paper, slight buckling to the tops of pages at the back of the book and a small crease to the bottom right of the front dust jacket flap.

Recommended; questions welcome.

rugby, southland