Argentina made history at Rugby World Cup 2007 by finishing third in the world. The South American nation finished the World Cup ahead of traditional powers including Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Wales and hosts France - all have previously hosted matches in multiple World Cup tournaments. In finishing third in 2007, Argentina became the only Rugby World Cup semi finalist who has not yet hosted a Rugby World Cup.Since then rugby has undergone significant changes to at last adjust to professionalism. Now a part of The Rugby Championship Argentina is a rugby nation in rapid transition and Argentina has officially been accepted as an elite team backed by a responsible union. With England hosting in 2015 and Japan in 2019, it will be time for a Southern Hemisphere country to host in 2023. By 2023 Oceania would have hosted three World Cup's, Africa one, Asia one and Europe four and the Americas zero. Rich in tradition and packed with talent Argentina 2023 is certain to be a roaring success.

A comprehensive history of the oldest surviving rugby club in Bristol. Founded in 1872 by Masters and former pupils of Clifton College, its roots go back to Rugby School itself. This all started with www.cliftonrfchistory.co.uk which has now become the largest rugby club history website in the world.

Huddersfield's importance to the game of Rugby League is immeasurable. Prior to the formation of the Northern Union in 1895, Huddersfield Cricket and Athletic Club had an active and ever-honourable life of thirty years or so.Then came the glorious era of the 1914/15 'Team of All Talents' as the Fartowners captured 'All Four Cups', the combination of unrivalled individualism enabling the Claret and Gold to sweep all before them. Other successes were enjoyed in the 1920s, '30s and '40s, with major trophies collected post-war until the early 1960s, although the club did secure divisional titles and promotions through into the 1990s. Success for a rugby club such as Huddersfield comes in many guises, it is not only cups, nor leagues won, or international caps gained - although these things are vitally important - it is a reputation for sportsmanship on or off the field, despite the trials and tribulations that come along. This book represents a pictorial journey of a great rugby league club through to the Super League era and Huddersfield's return to top-flight rugby league.

South Africa is a land of contrasts, as the tourist brochures promise, and this is true for the game of rugby.

From the Pretoria heartland to the aspirant Eastern Cape, from the hardscrabble Cape Flats to the islands of privilege at Bishops and Grey College, no other rugby-playing nation has to grapple with so much diversity. Different languages, classes, races and cultures - each bearing the wounds of the country's fractured past - have to be melded into winning teams.

Liz McGregor has spent the past three years shadowing Currie Cup, Super 14 and Springbok teams across the country, and has come to the conclusion that it is this very diversity, combined with the pain of the past and the dreams of a great united future, that provide the elusive alchemy that separates a good team from a great one.

Touch, Pause, Engage! is more than a book about rugby. It is an intimate look at how South Africa's erstwhile elite is adapting to its new circumstances. Team South Africa has been through many a maul and bruising scrum, but is inching closer and closer to the tryline.

Hunslet RLFC is once one of the biggest names in Rugby League. The Hawks have a long and proud history, including many epic matches, and this book features 50 of them, including the match that sealed the All Four Cups success in 1908, the 1938 Championship final over arch-rivals Leeds and the 1965 Challenge Cup final.

A history of Swansea Rugby Football Club since 1945

Mick Shoebottom was the type of play every Rugby League side wants in its ranks. Tough, durable, fast, skilful and with an incredible will to win, he was the ultimate players' player in the toughest of team sports. Hunslet-born, he was an integral part of the great Leeds side which swept all before them in the late 1960s and early '70s, becoming the first and only player in the code's history to represent his country in Test matches in four different starting positions, such was his value and versatility. A key member of the last Great Britain side to win the Ashes in Australia in 1970, he went on two tours and won every domestic medal available until tragedy struck and he was grievously injured scoring perhaps the most infamous try witnessed at his beloved Headingley. This is the story of his remarkable career, illustrated with around 100 images and mementoes taken from his scrapbooks and featuring reminiscences from a number of his former teammates. The sixth book written about the Leeds club by Phil Caplan and with a foreword by Alan Smith and John Atkinson, it commemorates what would have been the sixtieth birthday of one of Rugby League's true greats.

Shortlisted for Rugby Book of the Year at the British Sports Book Awards 'An excellent read' - Rugby World Rob Andrew is one of the key figures in modern rugby history: an outstanding international who won three Grand Slams with England and toured twice with the British and Irish Lions, he also played a central role in the game's professional revolution with his trailblazing work at Newcastle. During a long spell on Tyneside, he led the team to a Premiership title at the first opportunity, brought European action to the north-east and gave the young Jonny Wilkinson his break in big-time union by fast-tracking him into the side straight out of school. What happened off the field was equally eventful. Rob produced 'The Andrew Report' - the most radical of blueprints for the future of English rugby - and then, over the course of a decade as one of Twickenham's top administrators, found himself grappling with the extreme challenges of running a game repeatedly blown off course by the winds of change. He did not merely have a ringside seat as one of the world's major sports went through its greatest upheaval in a century: more often than not, he was in the ring itself.

British & Irish Lions On This Day revisits the most magical and memorable moments from the Lions' distinguished history, mixing in a maelstrom of anecdotes and characters to produce an irresistibly dippable diary - with an entry for every day of the year. From tours, Tests and provincial matches to the exploits of the Lions players in the wider world of rugby and beyond, the names of the players that have represented the Lions reads like a Who's Who of British and Irish rugby union and despite the advent of professionalism and the World Cup many home players regard Lions selection as the highest accolade available to them. Cliff Morgan, John Dawes, Willie John McBride, Bill Beaumont, Finlay Calder and Martin Johnson are just some of the famous names that have led the Lions on tour. Meanwhile tries and goals have been provided by Vivian Jenkins, Ernest Hammett, Barry John, Gareth Edwards, Ollie Campbell, Alan Irvine and many, many more.

Dublin 4, probably best-known in sporting terms as the spiritual home of Leinster Rugby, has one of the highest densities of diverse sports clubs in all of Ireland. In this new work from Kurt Kullmann, a founding member of the Donnybrook, Ballsbridge and Sandymount Historical Society, the author explores the history of these clubs, creating a picture of the kaleidoscopic nature of Dublin's sporting culture.

The Iron Curtain tells the story of rugby pioneer Phil Larder, the first coach to break through the hidden wall between rugby league and union. The journey starts with Phil's upbringing as a player, takes in the 80s rugby league revolution he sparked as national coaching director, and his jump across the barricades to rugby union in 1997. The authors examine how rugby league ideas revolutionised the concept of defence in union and changed the face of the game forever, and discuss the scientific 'quantum leaps' in analysis and conditioning under Sir Clive Woodward that led to triumph in 2003. In a book that will appeal to rugby lovers of both codes, Phil reveals the sources of his coaching inspiration, the players he loved working with and the secrets of his defensive innovation, giving his frank views on the English Premiership and the two Lions tours in which he was involved.

Rugby Revealed is the definitive guide to rugby in terms of the roles and responsibilities of each individual position and how they combine to create a tactically astute rugby team. This engaging guide to rugby union will help coaches and players understand the modern game, giving practical advice to achieve maximum results with optimum technique. With its mix of contributions from leading names, practical coaching advice and player statistics, Rugby Revealed includes: * the roles and responsibilities of each position in 15-a-side rugby * correct technique for core skills * the mechanics of the set piece * the elements for a successful attack and defence Professional players such as Jamie Roberts, Aaron Smith, Johnny Sexton, George Ford, Cian Healy, Manu Tuilagi, Keven Mealamu and Marcos Ayerza, and leading coaches, including Stuart Lancaster, Mike Cron, Dr Dave Alred, Mike Ford, Brendan Venter and Sir John Kirwan, are some of the 101 top names who share their insights into the game. This highly accessible guide will help new, emerging and developing players and coaches reach their rugby potential.

The Warrington Wolves Miscellany is the definitive set text for every fan of the world famous Wire. Packed with facts, fun, gossip, nostalgia and conjecture, it looks back over 135 years of glorious history to celebrate the personalities, victories and controversies of the sport's biggest name. Handily pocket-sized to pull out in the middle of those pub arguments over who was the fastest, dirtiest or biggest, this book will not only tell you who scored the most tries, kicked the most goals or won the most trophies, but also who earned the most red cards, which former player still haunts the town and who was sent off twice in one match. Put down your pie and pick up a copy.

This inside story of the Lions in South Africa will preserve the memories of the millions of fans who follow the tour in the press, on Sky and at the games themselves. A Lions tour is the pinnacle in the career of any rugby player from the four Home Unions. It is also increasingly a highlight in the life of the vast number of travelling supporters and indeed of any rugby follower. The "Complete Book of the Lions Tour to South Africa 2009" will be an enduring record of what is bound to be an outstanding, sometimes controversial and always absorbing six weeks of rugby history, from the first match on 30th May to the third, and final, Test against the Springboks on 4th July. "The Complete Book of the Lions Tour to South Africa 2009" will recall every aspect of the tour from selection and preparation, through the early bruising encounters in the warm-up games, the high points and the low, the constant battle against injuries, the mind games and the man management, the individual successes and disappointments, gruelling training sessions and lighter moments off the field but most of all the Test series itself. The BBC's voice of rugby Ian Robertson masterminds the book as its editor and will provide comments and interviews with all the key figures on both sides. Mick Cleary's perceptive writing will throw much light on the atmosphere within the South African and Lions camps throughout the tour, examining tactics, game plans in practice on the field, individual players within the squads, including Ronan O'Gara, Brian O'Driscoll and Phil Vickery, and the leadership of Lions captain Paul O'Connell.

This book is part of the Images of Sport series, which uses old photographs and archived images to show the history of various local sports in Great Britain.

Today's rugby players are bigger, faster and stronger than ever before. A focused conditioning programme has become essential to on-field success. Complete Conditioning for Rugby features a comprehensive training approach that builds players' physical abilities as well as the rugby-specific skills their positions require. Renowned conditioning coach and former professional player Paul Pook provides exercises, drills and programmes designed to improve the essential elements of the sport-strength, power, quickness and agility. His programmes will help you with these skills: * Increase strength and power to win those all-important collisions. * Improve your quickness and agility to be as elusive as the world's best. * Develop your core stability and mobility in order to remain injury free. * Customise your workouts to meet the demands of the position you play. In addition, the approximately 50-minute DVD takes you into the gym to demonstrate the same exercises and drills used by the game's best. With physical assessments, nutrition advice and seasonal workouts, Complete Conditioning for Rugby will take your game to the next level.

"There is no team that gives pleasure to the sporting public like the Canberra Raiders." --Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia The Canberra Raiders' spectacular grand final win against the Balmain Tigers in 1989 is widely regarded as Australian rugby league's greatest ever decider. For a fledgling club, this was an extraordinary and unexpected achievement, heralding a sequence of years that produced two more premierships and two near-misses. The Raiders' trademark adventurous style of play was welcomed by all lovers of the game. Attacking football was back in vogue. David Headon tells the story of a unique football team that entered the Sydney competition in 1982 with little fanfare and plenty of pessimism, despite the fact that league had been an integral part of communities across the Limestone Plains for nearly a century. From this firm base, the Raiders emerged to make their mark. Absolutely Bleeding Green recounts the big wins and heart-wrenching losses as it follows the players through their Raider careers, revealing how the club was able to build exceptional team spirit, even in difficult times. It includes interviews with players past and present, with coaches and administrators, as well as with families and supporters who are so proud of the distinctive lime green jersey. "This terrific book tells the story of a unique club that changed my life forever, just as the Raiders changed rugby league forever." --Mal Meninga, rugby league Immortal, Canberra Raiders Hall of Fame

Michael's talent became apparent early on and, having given up on studying for a degree to play for Pontypridd, he was soon playing at international level as an under-19 and an under-21. He followed his try-scoring Man of the Match debut against Canada with an impressive first Heineken Cup campaign. The highlight of his Pontypridd career was in 2001-2 season which saw this promising young team deliver by winning the Principality Cup and reaching the final of the European Challenge Cup. As well as the triumph that goes hand-in-hand with great sporting achievement, Michael has also been through his fair share of lows. Following his first cap, his first child was born seriously ill and the new father was forced to choose between his career and his family. Not long after this trauma, the national side were dubbed the worst Welsh team in history. This fascinating sporting biography takes an in-depth look at these peaks and troughs, as well as giving the lowdown on the tumultuous Lions tour of New Zealand, the rifts within the Welsh rugby camp and how Michael coped with having his dream career brought to an end by injury. This book is a must-read for any rugby or sports fan.

This book is part of the Images of Sport series, which uses old photographs and archived images to show the history of various local sports in Great Britain.

This book is part of the 100 Greats series, which collects short biographies and statistics of the 100 greatest players on various sporting teams or clubs throughout their histories.

A history of Bath Rugby Football Club 1865-1965

Never before in the UK has a Rugby League man of Malcolm Reilly's legendary status issued such a full and revealling autobiography. Reilly has been a household name in Rugby League for over 30 years -three decades in which he strode like a colossus over the world of this toughest of team sports. He was a champion player, and a champion coach, in both England and Australia - and Reilly reveals one man's personal story behind many of Rugby League's most famous, and infamous, days of the last 30 years, told just as he played his football - with no holds barred. Malcolm Reilly developed a reputation as the most feared player in the game at a time when Rugby League was at its most brutal during the 60's and 70's. His book recalls that club career at home with highly controversial Lions tour in which he starred the last time a British team won the coveted Ashes. Rupert Murdoch's million dollar war to take control of the game, with Malcolm Reilly bang in the middle of it He also describes the fairytale triumph with his Newcastle team in Australia in 1997 followed by the drugs storm that broke around them less than a year later. Reilly has been adapted in this UK version with Harry Edgar, one of the most experienced writers on international affairs in the world of rugby.