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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Ball games > Rugby football > Rugby Union
In rugby, there are the Flash Harrys and the Glory Boys: the
fly-halves who run, kick and dazzle; the scrum-halves who nip and
dart; the wingers who step and glide. These are the players who get
the crowd on their feet, who set stadiums abuzz. But they only get
to do these things because other, less glorified figures do all of
the donkey work. Adam Jones is one such figure. And for a decade he
was one of the world's best. On many occasions when George North or
Shane Williams were careering under the posts to score a try, and
the crowd was engulfed in rapturous joy, Adam Jones would be
hauling himself up from the turf, spitting blood and mud, and
massaging his aching neck. He hadn't scored the try; but more often
than not it was his graft and strength which had made it. This is
the story of 'Bomb': the self-effacing manual labourer from the
Swansea Valley who traded laying paving slabs for running out in
some of the world's most imposing sporting citadels. He rose to the
pinnacle of his sport, winning virtually everything there was to be
won: Grand Slams, Six Nations Championships, Lions tours, Pro12
titles. In a nation of rugby heroes, Adam Jones has become a
legend. Only six Welshmen can say they've won three Grand Slams. He
is one of them: not just as a bit-part player, but as the beating
heart of the most successful squad in Welsh rugby history. His was
one of the first names on the team sheet. He was - literally and
metaphorically - the cornerstone of this Welsh side. In his
autobiography, Jones reveals exactly what goes on in the murky
depths of the front row: the tricks, the techniques, the physical
and psychological warfare; and the mental fortitude it takes to
endure in one of the hardest positions, in one of the world's
toughest contact sports.
Inspiring and irreverent by turns, Brian Levison's new anthology
has drawn on rugby's wealth of excellent writing. Frank Keating, P.
G. Wodehouse, Alec Waugh, A. A. Thomson, John Reason and Mick Imlah
are among the distinguished names who have written movingly,
amusingly and entertainingly about the game they loved. Great
players such as Brian O'Driscoll, Willie John McBride, J. P. R.
Williams, Chester Williams, Colin Meads, Gavin Hastings and Brian
Moore give us a fascinating insider's view, as does World Cup Final
referee Derek Bevan, who reveals what it is like to try to control
thirty powerful and often volatile men in a highly competitive
situation. But some of the best writing and the wittiest insights
come from those who played their rugby at a much less exalted
level. The origins of the game - sometimes true, sometimes fanciful
- are explored as are some of its rituals like the haka. There are
amusing tales including that of the four Tibetan boys sent by the
Dalai Lama to learn the game at Rugby School and an account of New
Zealand scrum-half Chris Laidlaw's hostile reception at a village
fete in Wales. Along with barely believable stories about the
game's hardest men, including the French coach Jean 'le Sultan'
Sebedio, who used to conduct training sessions wearing a sombrero
and wielding a long whip, and 'Red' Conway who had his finger
amputated rather than miss a game for South Africa. One section
'Double Vision' looks at the same incident from opposing
viewpoints, such as when the then relatively inexperienced Irish
immortal Willie John McBride took a swing at the mighty All Black
Colin Meads in a line-out. Another, 'Giving it Everything', shows
how exceptional courage was not restricted to the rugby field but
extended to the battle grounds of the First World War. From the
compiler of highly acclaimed All in a Day's Cricket, this selection
covers the game from virtually every angle and is sure to delight
any rugby fan.
We all like choosing the best-ever Welsh rugby team, but here is a
XV with a difference. Here they are not players but writers. The
exploits of the people's heroes from Gould to Gareth Edwards are
vividly recaptured in some classic prose. So too are the
expectations and emotions of the most passionate followers in the
world. They deserve the best team we can put out. Here it is, a
selection of world beating writing on Welsh rugby: The First XV.
With an introduction by Gerald Davies, the featured authors include
Richard Burton, Gwyn Thomas, Frank Keating, Alun Richards and many
more.
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