Passionate tribute to the grassroots game

Even after living in Vancouver for 22 years, Kiwi expat Gregory Crow harbours a deep love of rugby and his country. His book For the Love of the Game - A Study of Grassroots Rugby in New Zealand followed a life-changing moment.
"I came a cropper in terms of my health in 2002 and it made me reassess my life and I wanted to come back to this country and see it all again," he said.
After recovering, he returned to his homeland and spent the next four years travelling from the northern tip of the country to the deep south, taking photos and talking to people involved at the grassroots of the national game.
"I love rugby and have a real passion for the game and it came together as a way I could get back in touch with the game and the country at the same time," he said.
The journey was made in no particular order, but the Northland part in particular was memorable as the first major trip of the project. "A big thing I learned was that Kiwi warmth and friendliness toward strangers, particularly in rural communities is still alive and well," he said.
After watching a match in Kaitaia where a father and a son were playing in the same team, he got chatting with the pair and they invited him to park his campervan at their place overnight.
"We shared a couple of beers in the garage later and the following day I followed them down as they took their other son on a trip down to Dargaville for a rep game," he said.
It took two-and-a-half hours to travel down for the 30-minute game, and it gave Crow an insight into the family's passion for the sport. There were many similar encounters as Crow was invited into rugby clubs, pubs, and strangers' houses to talk about rugby and - just as often - nothing in particular.
Crow made contact with some well-known figures in rugby as well as the legions of unknown toilers at the grassroots level. All of them share an equal part in the book.
Again in Kaitaia, he got talking with former New Zealand Maori rugby player Colin Phillips on the sideline, but didn't realise who he was until he started researching the book's text later on.
Originally he didn't plan to spend much time in the cities, but after making an early connection with All Black Bryan Williams, he detoured and made a stop at the Ponsonby club.
It was a fantastic trip with great memories and adventures gathered along the way.
The book illustrates his empathy with the people and places he has visited.

For the Love of The Game - Grassroots Rugby In Heartland New Zealand by Gregor Paul and Gregory Crow, Exisle Publishing, $49.99