Former Springboks player Gcobani Bobo teamed up with Elvis Jack to write a rugby hero novel called The Rise of the Dagger – What Happens in a Rugby Story When Life Interrupts?’

It stars Xolile Dalindyebo, a Xhosa rugby player who mysteriously also speaks Japanese.

Xolile comes out of nowhere to play rugby explosively. His history is uncertain but the fans love him. He is small yet very strong, electrifyingly fast with an intelligent sidestep and an instinct for the game.

He connives an arrangement with a divorced maverick journalist to construct his public persona, carefully using Twitter to project his image and to protect his past.

The book has twists and turns. It has all the behind-the-scenes sports drama the public is often not privy to – sex scandals, race conflicts, sabotage.

As Xolile Dalindyebo’s popularity increases, his role within the team grows stronger after some inner club maneuvering.

In parallel with this, Xolile embarks on a series of reconnaissance visits to unlikely places to recruit extra players, a bit like the search for special skills in the Magnificent Seven film. With extra talent and a slew of new tactics on the field, this could finally be the year of the Lions…

But nothing is as it seems in the world of rugby and Xolile’s past may still return to haunt him and the team….

Gcobani Bobo is currently rugby commentator. He played professional rugby for 15 years for a number of local and foreign teams, including the Springboks Lions, Cats, Sharks, Western Province, Stormers and the Newcastle Falcons in England. Elvis Jack is the author of a number of books.

Readers can read first three chapters of the book for free on https://buff.ly/2IPBzTX

‘The Rise of the Dagger’ is available at Exclusive Books stores and online at Amazon, iBookstore, and Kobo.co.za.

Follow Gcobani Bobo on Facebook and Twitter – @gcobanibobo.

For more information contact info@bulabuka.co.za.

Tags: book, Gcobani Bobo, novel, rugby, Springboks