THE 77-year-old Billy Bush receives a book on Springbok history at his Belfast Rugby Club in Christchurch, New Zealand. Bush, a 1976 All Blacks tourist in South Africa, features prominently in the book. Credit:
AS THE Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour roars into life in South Africa, a remarkable human interest story has emerged that perfectly illustrates what 105 years of Springbok-All Black competition has always been about.
It is a story of fierce combat on the rugby pitch, of memories that have endured for half a century, and of a book that crossed the oceans to reconnect an All Black legend with the country where he became a household name.
The central figure is Billy Bush, the legendary New Zealand prop whose fearless performances on the All Blacks’ 1976 tour captivated South African rugby supporters. Now 77, Bush still speaks warmly of South Africa.
“I would love to visit South Africa again,” he recently commented.
