Walter Sutherland played rugby for Scotland between 1910 and 1914. He was a brilliant player, a genuine folk-hero and also a very good athlete who also represented Scotland at sprinting. This book is a comprehensive biography of Walter Sutherland.

In 1905, Vic Cartwright's England rugby team lined up against Dave Gallaher's touring All Blacks at Crystal Palace - the first ever meeting of two national teams. Ensuing matches, in both the amateur and professional eras, have been dramatic and controversial, steeped in the historical rivalry of the traditional home of the game for the nation that has claimed rugby as its own. Men in white (such as Wakefield, Beaumont, Carling, Leonard and Johnson) versus men in black (Meads, Lochore, Fitzpatrick, Lomu, McCaw). Hakas drowned out by rousing renditions of 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot'. Grinding forward tussles on cold, murky afternoons and sweeping back-line movements on sun-lit grounds. Thorny Encounters chronicles the first 40 Test matches between England and New Zealand, in which giants of the sport have measured themselves against each other. In the professional era, the match has become the clash of the hemispheres.

Rugby in South Africa is more than just a game. It is a reflection of the life and heartbeat of the people of this country. It is synonymous with sunshine, biltong and braaivleis.

Since rugby was first played on South African soil in 1861, its rich heritage has shaped and has been shaped by our country. Glory Beyond The Tryline celebrates the joy and sense of unity and pride that arose among South Africans after the victory of the World Cup in 1995.

Glory Beyond The Tryline:

• Provides an overview of highlights from South Africa’s rugby history.
• Pays tribute to the pioneers of rugby.
• Offers testimonies and life stories of players such as Victor Matfield, Pierre Spies, Beast Mtawarira,
• Jannie and Bismarck du Plessis, Juan Smith, and many other prominent players, as well as coaches such as Peter de Villiers, Frans Ludeke and Pieter Rossouw.

One of the traditional powerhouses of Welsh first class rugby, Aberavon RFC has a long, proud and illustrious history, with 50 of its players being capped for Wales, the club winning many league titles and domestic cups, and - with Neath RFC - facing the might of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Aberavon RFC is a great rugby club and this is its story. Fully illustrated and packed with photos and club memorabilia, The Wizards is a comprehensive history of the town's premier club, from the days when the men of Aberavon gathered on a farmer's field to challenge rivals from across south Wales, to the formation of the Afan Football Club in 1876 and its development into Aberavon RFC, and from the club finding a home at the Talbot Athletic Ground to the anniversary celebrations of the 2016-17 season. Aberavon RFC's fascinating 140-year story - lovingly written by renowned rugby historians Howard Evans and Phil Atkinson - traces the club's fortunes through its good times, its many challenges and, most importantly, through the personalities who've worn the famous black and red jersey, delighting the home supporters and putting fear into visiting teams. From the days of `One-Arm' Wilkins to `Warhorse' Jones, The Wizards recalls the great names such as Johnny Ring, Ned Jenkins, John Bevan, Clive Shell, Ray Giles, Billy Mainwaring, Max Wiltshire, `Om the Bomb', Allan Martin and Billy James, to current heroes `Buddah', Jamie Davies and Richard Morris, with a special place for the club's greatest supporter, the legendary and much missed Mrs Evelyn Mainwaring.

**WINNER British Sports Book Awards SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR** **Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award** Gareth Thomas had it all. He was a national hero, a sporting icon. He was a leader of men, captain of Wales and the British Lions. To him, rugby was an expression of cultural identity, a sacred code. It was no mere ball game. It gave him everything, except the freedom to be himself. This is the story of a man with a secret that was slowly killing him. Something that might devastate not only his own life but the lives of his wife, family, friends and teammates. The only place where he could find any refuge from the pain and guilt of the lie he was living was on the pitch, playing the sport he loved. But all his success didn't make the strain of hiding who he really was go away. His fear that telling the truth about his sexuality would lose him everything he loved almost sent him over the edge. The deceit ended when Gareth became the world's most prominent athlete to come out as a gay man. His gesture has strengthened strangers, and given him a fresh perspective. Gareth's inspiring and moving story transcends the world of sport to tell a universal truth about feeling like an outsider, and facing up to who you really are.

One of the most colourful and controversial characters in Welsh rugby history, Mike 'Spikey' Watkins remains the only player since 1882 to captain Wales on his debut, and win. Discarded by Cardiff RFC and banned by the WRU after the infamous 'Hookers Night Out' incident in November 1978, Spikey, who had regularly played for the Wales B team and was understudy to Bobby Windsor, thought his chance of a prized Welsh cap has disappeared. In this brutally frank and hard-hitting autobiography, 'Spikey' Watkins, the loveable rogue of Welsh rugby, lifts the lid on his roller-coaster playing career and explains how he fought back against the 'blazer-brigade' he despised, returned to captain a hugely successful Newport team and finally got the call from the WRU, due to public pressure from the supporters who adored him, to captain his country to victory against Ireland in 1984.

SHORTLISTED FOR INTERNATIONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR AT THE 2020 TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS. As Kieran Read prepares to call time on his distinguished New Zealand career at the end of the Rugby World Cup, this is the open and honest life story of one of rugby's greatest players, a legendary All Black and a two-time World Cup winner. Kieran Read first played for the All Blacks as a 23-year-old in 2008 and since then has amassed more than a century of Test appearances in the famous jersey. Now, after a stellar provincial, club and international career - including back-to-back World Cup victories - the New Zealand captain writes openly and honestly about his time in the game. Read takes to these pages with his trademark determination, lifting the lid on the unique pressures of succeeding as captain the most celebrated All Black of all time (Richie McCaw). He outlines the decisions that molded his career and uncovers the skills of the coaches who shaped him, while offering readers an inside account of how the world's greatest team functions and thrives. Read unpacks the emotional toll of injury and the ignominy of defeat, neatly illustrating the intense experience of representing a rugby-obsessed nation while delivering a masterclass in how to manage the many demands on the mind and on the body. Forthright and frank, Read's well-respected views on the game and its future are a must-read for rugby fans, and his take on the myriad personalities and the peccadilloes of his team-mates, coaches and opponents will be sure to surprise and delight. From the playing fields of Papakura to the summit of the sport, Read has faced every challenge head on. His life story if no exception.

'I never set out to take the lead. It just happened - like MND itself. But we are making a fight of it.' DODDIE WEIR In the five years since Doddie Weir's MND diagnosis, he has continued to live life to the max. He's raised millions for research and support for his fellow sufferers with the help of some incredible charity fundraisers, celebrated his 50th birthday and been awarded an OBE. And throughout it all, Doddie has tackled life head on, like the mad charging giraffe he has always been, both on and off the rugby pitch. Now, join Doddie as he lifts the lid on what his life with MND has really been like, both in public and in private. Being Doddie, there's always lots of laughter and an incredibly positive attitude, but it's also a rollercoaster of emotions. It's a battle Doddie will continue to tackle with his trademark dignity and legendary humour. And it's a fight he remains determined to win.

In 2016, Doddie Weir's life - as much-loved sporting hero and Borders farmer - switched direction with the same speed and power this indefatigable No. 5 once displayed on the rugby pitch. Reeling from his own MND diagnosis, Doddie became a standard-bearer for all those valiantly seeking to halt Motor Neuron Disease in its tracks. It's a platform Doddie has unhesitatingly used to the max. 'I never set out to take the lead,' he says. 'It just happened - like MND itself. But we are making a fight of it.' And so he continues to live life at full tilt: as a tireless fundraiser for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation and as a family man with a debilitating, unpredictable and incurable disease. During these unprecedented times, Doddie has received an OBE, celebrated his 50th birthday, helped pledge close to GBP10 million for MND research and his fellow sufferers - all amid a whirl of golfing challenges, charity cycle rides, book festivals and awards ceremonies . . . Now DODDIE'S DIARY lifts the lid on the highs, the lows, the laughter and the tears of the last few years. Each day shows an astonishing, inspirational man who simply refuses to give in as he brings his down-to-earth positivity and legendary sense of humour to the battle against MND. Just as on the pitch, it's a battle he's determined to win.

Jack Kyle was the rugby giant of his time, but he was also so much more than a sporting legend. Whilst he was winning a Grand Slam and touring with the Lions, Jack Kyle was also studying to be a doctor. When he retired from playing rugby - as the world's most-capped player - his sense of adventure and medical ambition led him to settle in Chingola, Zambia, where he spent the next thirty-four years of his life. For many years, he was the only medically trained surgeon in the town and so faced many challenges, not least the appearance of and devastation caused by AIDS. Written as a series of conversations with his daughter, Justine, Conversations with My Father reveals Jack Kyle as a supremely gifted rugby player, a dedicated surgeon and a gentle family man.

Matt Dawson's Lions Tales gives rugby fans a satisfying dose of wonderful Lions anecdotes, epic stories of triumph and despair, of camaraderie and controversy, and stirring examples of that special bond that only competing in the white heat of battle, halfway round the world, against the mighty All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks, can engender. Lions Tales is peppered with insight and laugh-out-loud moments, dredged from the memory banks of Dawson's own time in the iconic red shirt, and also from his keen interest in the Lions' remarkable 125-year traditions.

SHORTLISTED FOR RUGBY BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE 2020 TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS. 'excellent' Donald McRae, The Guardian 'Gatland is the master' Sir Ian McGeechan 'Gatland is a coaching star' Sir Clive Woodward 'Gats is one of the all-time great coaches' Sam Warburton Warren Gatland is one of the world's most renowned and intriguing rugby coaches of the modern era, leading Wales to four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams and two World Cup semi-finals and masterminding two history-making tours as Head Coach of the British and Irish Lions. As he leaves his post as Head Coach of Wales at the end of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Gatland's definitive autobiography provides a colourful and vivid chronicle of an extraordinary three decades at rugby's dynamic coal-face. The personal journey has been rewarding and challenging in equal measure, spanning many of the sport's most passionate heartlands such as New Zealand, Ireland, England and, of course, Wales. Gatland reflects in characteristically forthright and intelligent fashion on a lifetime spent playing and coaching the sport which has been his passion since as a young boy he first picked up an oval ball on New Zealand's North Island, dreaming of joining the ranks of the mighty All Blacks. Along the way we encounter the greatest matches, players and rivalries the sport has to offer, get introduced to a stunning cast of unforgettable characters who grace the story with their humour and humanity, and emerge with a striking appreciation of what makes this outstanding rugby man tick.

The extraordinary, life-affirming autobiography of rugby legend DODDIE WEIR There has never been anyone quite like Doddie Weir. A giant of the game and a rugby icon, his story is unique, inspirational and charged with a passion for living life to the full. In a rugby career which had huge highs and shocking lows, Doddie faced some of the greatest players in the game, from Jonny Wilkinson to Jonah Lomu, Brian O'Driscoll to Scott Quinnell and Martin Johnson to Joost van der Westhuizen, and set stadiums alight when "on the charge like a mad giraffe". Now, at the age of 48, Doddie is facing an entirely different adversary: Motor Neurone Disease. But Doddie Weir has never been one to shy away from a challenge, on or off the pitch, and he has faced up to MND with undaunted positivity, using his boundless energy to raise funds for MND research and support, with more than GBP1million already raised and committed in the first year. MY NAME'5 DODDIE is a courageous and hugely entertaining celebration of a remarkable life being lived to the max. You will laugh, you may cry, but Doddie's story is an absolute must-read - rugby fan or not.

Cornwall has long been recognised as being one of the hotbeds of English rugby enjoying a level of interest and support even outstripping that of football. Ten years ago Penzance and Newlyn rebranded itself as the Cornish Pirates and now operates as the only truly professional sports team in the area. Despite its remote location and low population base it has nevertheless recently twice won national knock-out trophies and twice more reached play-off finals of the Rugby Championship - just one tier below the Premier League. Ex-player Steve Tomlin's latest book details the lives and playing careers of forty-six leading players and four senior coaches covering both the amateur and professional eras of the club. It is almost entirely based on a series of detailed interviews with the players themselves - or with their colleagues and families if they are no longer with us. Many of those featured played at international level whilst others remained as heroes in their own backyard. It gives a fascinating and often hilarious insight into the lives, pressures, achievements and disappointments of rugby players of different generations and varying backgrounds.

Bumper Rugby World Cup edition of the acclaimed IRB World Rugby Yearbook, the ever-popular and utterly comprehensive review of the rugby year. On sale barely a month after the trophy has been lifted at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, the IRB World Rugby Yearbook will include a comprehensive review of the tournament including analysis and comment from leading players and the game's best rugby writers. On top of that will be a complete round-up of world rugby in 2011, including complete statistical records for every World Cup nation, all-time rugby records and reviews of each of the major competitions in the oval ball game. The IRB World Rugby Yearbook is quite simply the most comprehensive rugby yearbook on the planet.

Five kids with one dream: to become the greatest sports stars in the world! Follow Kim as she trains to be the best at her favourite sport: rugby! Kim has been at the best - and most mysterious! - sports academy in the world for a few months now. She and the rest of her class were selected because they all shared a determination and willingness to improve. Now the gang are on their way to Japan for the rugby World Cup - but they're going to need some more teammates. The best place to find them is another cutting-edge sports school like theirs. But is there another in the world? And can they form a team in time? Read all about Kim and her friends at Sports Academy where, with the help of eccentric, genius coaches, they are transformed into serious players in their own sports.

The latest edition of the acclaimed IRB World Rugby Yearbook, the most comprehensive rugby yearbook on the planet. With 640 fully illustrated pages of features, stats and records from every major rugby playing nation, since being revived and revamped four years ago the IRB World Rugby Yearbook has become a 'must have' book for rugby followers. The 2011 edition will feature extensive preview of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand

The Greatest Springbok Teams: Past To Present celebrates those Springbok teams that have become truly immortal in the eyes of their fans – the 11 greatest South African rugby teams ever.

This beautifully illustrated book covers the immense achievements of those Springbok teams who took on the mighty All Blacks and the cunning Aussies in their own backyard and smashed them, as well as the teams who stood up and faced the onslaught of the hungry British & Irish Lions and, ultimately, those who conquered all and lifted the World Cup in 1995 and 2007. These are the best of the best.

Every true rugby fan will want this book for his or her collection of rugby memorabilia.

At the start of the 2005 Six Nations a team of sports photographers was given unprecedented access to the Welsh rugby team. Little did they know they were about to record a nation's greatest rugby moments for decades. The result is Breathing Fire!, a spectacular 250 page book of stunning rugby photography that gets to the very heart and soul of Wales' Grand Slam triumph. From the pitch-side to the dressing room, from training to the team bus, these sensational photographs tell the story from the inside - Gareth Thomas driving the team bus, Kevin Morgan having his head stitched up, Gavin Henson doing his hair... The official book of the team, Breathing Fire! also contains exclusive interviews with all the key players, telling the story of the Grand Slam in their own words.