Old Heroes

The story of the 1956 Springbok Tour, the personalities, the games and a snapshot of a moment in time when New Zealand was galvanized by one idea: beating the Springboks. Why was 1956 so special? How is it that 35 years later, rugby fans can recall the excitement of those matches and recite the names of the Springboks and the All Blacks? Through his own recollections and those of his contemporaries, older fans, sports commentators and the "old heroes" themselves, the author compiles a profile of this time. Above all it was a time when sport - particularly rugby - was New Zealand's chief diversion. The sporting heroes were to do battle: Jones, van Vollenhoven, Clarke, Viviers, Jarden, Rosenberg, Hemi. But where are they now? that time of innocence is over and Roger concludes his pilgrimage with sobering discoveries. A collection of Roger Warwick's journalism from the 1980s was published under the title "Places in the Heart".