Born on the last day of apartheid in the impoverished Zwide township, Siya had no option but to grow up fast. Amid the casual violence and hunger felt during his childhood, sport had always provided an outlet, as it offered everything his home life at the time didn't - roles, rules and trust.
But more than anything, it was rugby that saved him. In this extraordinarily intimate memoir Siya reflects on his career so far, recounting rising through the ranks during his early years and playing for the Stormers, to how he became the first black man to captain his country in 128 years, eventually leading South Africa to victory at the Rugby World Cup in 2019.
However, Rise is not simply a chronology of matches played and games won; it is an exploration of a man's race and his faith, a testament to attaining a positive mindset and a moving reminder that it is possible to defy the odds, no matter how heavily they are stacked against you.
