The rugby fan is a true story that played off over three years on the All Blacks.com blog where the author’s intuitive mind captured a moment in time that changed a hostile male dominant blog and broke the power of the natural law. Read how Stephen Donald (All Black fly half) was backed by this South African woman, who was not prepared to back down when she decided to go on a mission in support of this All Black stranger when he came under duress by a whole nation. The author, Rosemarie made many daring statements, of which one stood out when she said: “Stephen Donald will be the one man standing come the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Go Stephen!” She ultimately supported “All of Rugby” and embraced another great athlete who came under the radar of the fan and media, Bryan Habana (Springbok winger), a mover and shaker athlete who won many accolades (IRB Top Try scorer 2008/2011/2012). The Rugby Fan brings the core dynamics of the game into perspective to assist the fan to understand the game for what it is. The game of Rugby has done much (and will do so in the future) to bring about cohesion to a world that is all too divided, and all too riven with problems. Now it would be wrong to think that The Rugby Fan will put all of these problems right; that however is not the issue. The issue is that if we all strive to do a bit more for the world then we are on the right path to our own and others happiness. Rosemarie is a good example of that. The author's achievements are a testament to courage, dignity and action. And, she has now extended that out to bringing a team together for this project's common goal. And, what's so rich and enlightening about that, is that everyone attached to the whole-hearted vision of the project, is aligned to her philosophy. The Rugby Fan is a captivating experience and roller-coaster account of how one woman can make an impact. Know that by reading, but more importantly; really taking from the messages contained within the book you are aiding the development of Rugby the world over. Feel content that you are playing your part. Don't miss out on sharing the journey.

The English rugby team has been scrummaging its way around the rugby fields of the world since 1871. James Stafford's An Illustrated History of English Rugby takes you on a thrilling journey through a century and a half of glory, failure, mediocrity and brilliance. Mixing stats and facts with player profiles, match reports and social history, this book is perfect for hardcore and casual fans aged eight to 80. Packed with delightful illustrations from Raluca Moldovan, this follow up to Stafford's best-selling An Illustrated History of Welsh Rugby will give readers a new appreciation of the stars of today and the pioneers of yesteryear.

This is a complete history of the England rugby union team - told by the players themselves. Based on a combination of painstaking research into the early years of the England team through exclusive interviews with a vast array of Test match stars from before the Second World War to the present day, world-renowned rugby writers Stephen Jones and Nick Cain delve to the very heart of the English international rugby union experience, painting a unique and utterly compelling picture of the game in the only words that can truly do so: the players' own. This is the definitive story of English Test match rugby - a story etched in blood, sweat and tears; a story of great joy and heart-breaking sorrow; a story of sacrifice, agony, endeavour and triumph. Behind the Rose lifts the lid on what it is to play for England - the trials and tribulations behind the scenes, the glory, the drama and the honour on the field, and the heart-warming tales of friendship and humour off it.Absorbing and illuminating, this is a must-have for all supporters who have ever dreamed of walking the hallowed corridors of Twickenham as a Test match player, preparing themselves for battle in the changing rooms and then marching out to that field of dreams with the deafening roar of the crowd in their ears and the red rose emblazoned on their chest.

An anthology of historical rugby trivia with nostalgic reflections on the amateur game. The thinking man's game - New (velvet) caps A rugby match - not a cattle sale! The 'Great Game' 1914-1918 'Johnnie' foreigner's very welcome Goals, ties, miinor points of perhaps rouges? The Welsh and English innovators Before hymns and arias - Ladies, behind closed doors The rise and fall of corporate Old Boys An Afternoon at Muriel's some of the short stories within this book

The origins of the game of rugby and the codification of the rules which defined the game have been glorified in numerous legends, some of which are little more than sporting hagiography. Following on from the success of The Rules of Association Football 1863 and in time for the Rugby World Cup in September - October 2007, this book investigates the origins of the game of rugby and reproduces for the first time in a single book both the first rules of the game, drawn up at Rugby School in 1845 and the first rules of the Rugby Football Union, published in 1871. The introduction by Jed Smith, the curator of the Rugby Football Museum in Twickenham, will provide the first systematic exploration of the origin of the rules of the game and their development. Includes images from the unique manuscript held at the Rugby Football Union as well as nineteenth-century illustrations of the game as it was first played, capturing its early spirit and enthusiasm.

For 125 years the British & Irish Lions have stood out as a peerless emblem in world sport. This unique account of the best from the four Home Nations examines every tour in the Lions' history, including the victorious 2013 tour to Hong Kong and Australia, told in the players' words. Behind the Lions sees rugby writers from across the Home Nations delve to the heart of what it means to be a Lion, interviewing a vast array of former and current players to uncover the passion, pride and exhilaration experienced when wearing the famous red jersey. It is a tale of heartbreak and ecstasy, humour and poignancy that is at once inspirational, moving and utterly compelling. This is the story of the British & Irish Lions in their own words.

Seventeen-year old Dennis O'Neill was a precocious talent. Widnes coach Joe Egan put him straight into the first team after he had signed as a professional in the summer of 1966. Not only Egan, but other Rugby League pundits of the day regarded him as "the best teenage prospect since Alex Murphy" In only his second season at the age of 19, he was selected for the Lancashire side to play Yorkshire in January 1968.The game was appropriately played at Naughton Park, Widnes. O'Neill's sensational match winning try was described nearly four decades later as "The Greatest Try" by a local journalist. The description inspired the title of Anthony J. Quinn's book. Not only with a brisk season by season narrative, but with numerous references to contemporary press reports, the book vividly portrays Dennis O'Neill's thrilling performances for Widnes in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It also highlights his constant injury problems and gives the reader an insight into events at Widnes RLFC during that period in its history and is interspersed with pictures and press cuttings. In addition, the author refers to several letters and articles that were published in the local press, commenting on the poor state of British Rugby League in O'Neill's prime playing days.

Enjoy the glorious game in a whole new way with this mighty collection of rugby puzzles If you can't watch the match from the comfort of your own toilet, you need something just as gripping to keep you enthralled. Whether it's spotting the difference between two crunching tackles or locating world-famous stadiums, this puzzle book is just the ticket. These amusing activities and fun facts will prove a sure-fire winner with any fan of the game. From bestselling author and professional brain-teaser Hugh Jassburn, this eye-catching collection will pit your wits against such challenges as these: Find all the items of rugby kit hidden in a word search Unscramble the names of famous players at Anagram RFC Guess the year when the Rugby Football Union officially endorsed the oval-shaped ball Prove you know what the various signals made by the referee and their assistants actually mean A superb gift idea, this is an all-round treat for rugby obsessives and casual fans alike.

This collection of rugby humour is perfect for anyone who lives and breathes the glorious game. Packed with the very best quips and quotes for lovers of the oval-shaped ball, it guarantees laughs and lots of celebratory fist pumps. Scrum down and prepare yourself for a full-on tour of the game through the eyes of iconic players, pithy commentators and dumbfounded celebrities. It'll reveal whether rugby really is a game that requires all brawn and little brain, explore the divisive history between the Union and League and celebrate the legends of the sport. Up until the final whistle, the quotes in this book will have you on the edge of your seat. Offering an amusing look at the lives of rugby stars on and off the pitch, it'll have you cheering for more and make you even more nuts for the honourable and always beautiful game than you already are.

Who are the fifteen best rugby players ever to have represented the Lions? Was Willie John McBride better than Martin Johnson? Was Barry John better than Johnny Wilkinson? Was anyone better than Gareth Edwards? As incisive and decisive as he was on the pitch, Jonathan Davies has the answer to all these questions and more. -- Welsh Books Council

'Few have a better feel for Argentine rugby than Rex Gowar ... his experience oozes from every paragraph. A fascinating, educational read' - Robert Kitson, The Guardian Argentinean rugby is a unique - and often mysterious - beast. In Pumas, veteran journalist Rex Gowar digs to the heart of rugby in Argentina to reveal a history like no other in the sport. Gregarious, colourful, controversial, violent, shocking, beautiful - these are just some of the words to describe the stories that emerge in these hair-raising pages as some of the biggest characters in the game are profiled, famous matches relived and painful history is scrutinised. In the first book in English to examine rugby in Argentina in any depth, Gowar explores how the roots of the game in the early twentieth century has produced a twisting, astonishing history that has flowered in the present day as the Pumas have established themselves as one of the world's powerhouse rugby nations.

Murrayfield, the Calcutta Cup, March 1990. England vs. Scotland - winner-takes-all for the Five Nations Grand Slam, the biggest prize in northern hemisphere rugby. Will Carling's England are the very embodiment of Margaret Thatcher's Britain - snarling, brutish and all-conquering. Scotland are the underdogs - second-class citizens from a land that's become the testing ground for the most unpopular tax in living memory: Thatcher's Poll Tax. In Edinburgh, nationalism is rising high - what happens in the stadium will resound far beyond the pitch. The Grudge brilliantly recaptures a day that has gone down in history when a rugby match became more than a game. This is the real story of an extraordinary conflict, told with astounding insight and unprecedented access to key players, coaches and supporters on both sides (Will Carling, Ian McGeechan, Brian Moore and the rest). Tom English has produced a gripping account of a titanic struggle that thrusts the reader right into the heart of the action. Game on. Fully revised and updated, this special hardback edition is published to mark the thirtieth anniversary of Scotland's most storied rugby season.

Leonard's story starts as rugby started - in the amateur days, when the Cockney Carpenter began playing for Barking and Saracens in the days before multi-million pound business owners and sponsorship deals. His big break came when he was invited to join the England squad for their tour to Argentina in 1990 and has been capped 100 times. It was a tour that precipitated one of the greatest periods in the history of the British game, and Leonard provides a compelling insight into life behind the international scenes with England and the Lions, as well as the domestic game through his time at Saracens and Harlequins. Once told that he would never walk again after undergoing life-saving surgery on his neck, Leonard describes the torment he went through during this period - both physical and financial - and how he fought against all the odds to re-establish himself on the international stage. With 100 Test caps won to date, and a career in rugby union spanning two decades, there is no more experienced player in the modern game. Leonard has plenty to tell about the people he has met during his career - Rob Andrew, Will Carling, Lawrence Dallaglio, Brian Moore, Dick Best and Clive Woodward all feature - and with nicknames like 'The Fun Bus' and 'The Scourge of the Barking Barmaids' the stories are as colourful and controversial as the man himself. All is revealed in this fascinating portrait of an English rugby legend who also reflects upon England's 2002 Six Nations campaign, his hopes for his international future and a tough year for Quins.

The phenomenal international number one bestseller with exclusive interviews with Richie McCaw, Steve Hansen, Beauden Barrett and Dan Carter, The Jersey is the definitive story behind the greatest sports team on the planet.

With a better winning record than any other sports team in history, they stand head and shoulders above their nearest rugby rivals. How did a country of just 4.8 million people conquer the world?

Peter Bills, who has reported on international rugby for more than forty years, was given exclusive access to all the key figures in New Zealand rugby as he set out to understand the secrets behind the All Blacks success. Peter talked at length with ninety people, both in New Zealand and around the world, with intimate knowledge of what makes the All Blacks tick.

The Jersey goes to the heart of the All Blacks success. It is also an epic story of not just a rugby team but a nation, whose identities are inextricably linked.

Daniel Dumile Qeqe (1929–2005), ‘Baas Dan’, ‘DDQ’. He was the Port Elizabeth leader whose struggles and triumphs crisscrossed the entire gamut of political, civic, entrepreneurial, sports and recreational liberation activism in the Eastern Cape. Siwisa tells the story of Qeqe’s life and times and at the same time has written a social and political biography of Port Elizabeth – a people’s history of Port Elizabeth. As much as Qeqe was a local legend, his achievements had national repercussions and, indeed, continue to this day.

Central to the transformation of sports towards non-racialism, Qeqe paved the way for the mainstreaming and liberation of black rugby and cricket players in South Africa. He co-engineered the birth of the KwaZakhele Rugby Union (Kwaru), a pioneering non-racial rugby union that was more of a political and social movement. Kwaru was a vehicle for political dialogues and banned meetings, providing resources for political campaigns and orchestrations for moving activists into exile.

This story is an attempt at understanding a man of contradictions. In one breath, he was generous and kind to a fault. And yet he was the indlovu, an imposing authoritarian elephant, decisively brutal and aggressive. Then there was Qeqe, the man whose actions were not in keeping with the struggle. This story narrates his role in ‘collaborationist’ civic institutions and in courting reactionary homeland structures, yet through all that he was the signal actor in the emancipation of rugby in South Africa.

Brilliant, honest, combative – Eddie Jones is a gigantic yet enigmatic figure in world rugby and a true legend of the game. In My Life And Rugby he tells his story for the first time, including the full inside story of England’s 2019 World Cup campaign.

Eddie Jones is one of the most experienced and decorated coaches in world rugby. He career has spanned four World Cups; from losing to England in the 100th minute in 2003, working with South Africa when they won in 2007, and causing the greatest upset in 2015 when he masterminded the Japanese defeat of South Africa.

Since taking over as head coach of England in 2015 Eddie Jones has masterminded a complete revival of the national team. He has won the Six Nations Championship back-to-back, including England’s first grand slam in a generation, their first ever whitewash of Australia, as well as taking them on their longest ever winning streak.

In his explosive autobiography Jones shows how his fiercely competitive attitude, his love of coaching and his philosophy of the game were formed while growing up in a tough working-class suburb of Sydney as a small half-Japanese kid, playing schoolboy rugby alongside the legendary Ella brothers.

Learning from the extreme highs and lows of his own playing career – the numerous successes playing for Randwick and New South Wales but also the painful disappointment of never playing for Australia – he shows what it takes to be the best in the world and how everything he has learnt about the game on and off the pitch has gone into plotting England’s route to the top of World Rugby.

My Life And Rugby is the story of one of the most compelling and singular figures in rugby, told with unflinching honesty this is the ultimate rugby book for all fans of the sport.

'An intriguing study of the minds of some of rugby's greatest leaders' - Tom English, BBC Sport An Official Licensed Product of the British & Irish Lions A British & Irish Lions tour presents one of the greatest challenges in sport. Rugby is a game that rewards creative expression, toil, teamwork and a never-say-die attitude. It can be joyful, vibrant and beautiful. Equally, it can brutally expose human flaws and frailties - even more so in the hugely pressurised environment of a Lions tour. Every team, no matter how talented, will find itself in dark and difficult situations both on and off the field; the successful ones are those with a leadership group that can navigate these challenging moments. In Legacy of the Lions, former Lions captain Gavin Hastings draws on his own experiences in the famous red jersey and interviews other greats of the game - including, among many others, Sam Warburton, Warren Gatland, Paul O'Connell, Brian O'Driscoll, Martin Johnson, Finlay Calder and Sir Ian McGeechan, plus a selection of their illustrious opponents, such as Kieran Read, John Smit and John Eales - to explore how to forge a successful team in this most rarefied of environments, the difficulties they each encountered and what leadership lessons they learned. Inspiring, humorous and illuminating, Legacy of the Lions casts a unique light on leadership, team-building and elite performance and reveals a new perspective on touring with - and playing against - The British & Irish Lions in the modern era.

'People think they know him but unless you read this book you will never know the REAL Alun Wyn Jones' - Warren Gatland 'One of the greatest, and seemingly indestructible, players in history' - A Daily Mail Book of the Year Belonging is the story about how the boy from Mumbles became the most capped rugby union player of all time. It is the story of what it takes to become a man who is seen by many as one of the greatest ever Welsh players. What it takes to go from sitting cross-legged on the hall floor at school watching the 1997 Lions tour of South Africa, to being named the 2021 Lions captain. But is it also about perthyn - belonging: playing for Wales, working his way through the age grades and club rugby and his regional side. How to earn the right to be there, and what it feels like to make the sacrifices along the way. Feeling the connection to players who have come before, and feeling the ties to the millions in front rooms and pubs across the country, coast to coast. Knowing that deep down you want to belong, as everyone does. From playing on the rain-swept pitches of Swansea to making his test debut against Argentina in Patagonia in 2006; from touring with the Lions in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2021 to dealing with loss and creating a family - Belonging is the autobiography of one of the most compelling figures in world rugby. Told with characteristic honesty, this is his unique personal story of what it takes and what it means to play for your country: what it means to belong.

Featuring the thoughts of more than 180 players who have represented Scotland since the very first Test match in 1871 all the way through to the present day, Behind the Thistle gives a unique insight into the drama and emotion of playing for Scotland in that most rarefied of environments - Test match rugby. In this exhaustively research tome, David Barnes and Peter Burns provide inside access to more than 150 years of private moments in the changing room, on tour, on the training ground, during the tumultuous heat of battle itself, and lift the lid on numerous post-match antics. This is the story of what it is really like to play for Scotland, revealing the sacrifices and joys experienced by those who have shed blood, sweat and tears in pursuit of glory in the navy blue jersey.

A collection of 125 activities, practices, and games designed to improve coaching sessions at all levels of the gameThe rugby drills presented here are organized into chapters according to a particular skill or phase of the game, from the warm up to handling, contact, lineout, scrum, kicking, and defense. Each chapter starts with a series of simple activities before progressing through to more complex ones, each broken down into step-by-step explanations and diagrams, as well as guidance on how to increase the level of difficulty. Tried and tested over a number of years, and proven to work in developing skills and teamwork with players of all abilities, many of the drills were created by the author, while some have been used by the most famous coaches in the world. All of them were designed for use without the need for specialist or expensive equipment.