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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Ball games > Rugby football > Rugby Union
Go behind the scenes with the world's most successful sports team.
This is a complete history of rugby's most famous yet enigmatic
team, the New Zealand All Blacks, told by the men who have had the
honour of wearing the iconic black jersey. From the legendary 1905
'Originals' all the way through to Richie McCaw's record-breaking
back-to-back World Cup champions of 2015, this is a history of the
All Blacks like you have never experienced it before. Thanks to
exhaustive archival research and exclusive new material garnered
from a vast array of interviews with players and coachesfrom across
the decades, Behind the All Blacks unveils the compelling truth of
what it means to play for the team that has dominated Test match
rugby for over a century - all the trials and tribulations behind
the scenes, the glory, the drama and the honour on the field, and
the passionate friendships and bonds of a brotherhood off it.
Absorbing and illuminating, this is the ultimate history of New
Zealand rugby - told, definitively, by the men who have been there
and done it.
'Extraordinary . . . great fun' Barry Egan, Irish Sunday
Independent 'A wonderful story . . . vivid and comprehensive.'
Stephen Jones, Sunday Times ''Throughout it all though there is a
feeling of warmth for the sport and for others. Above all there is
a sense of achievement . . . Best was never one of the glamour
boys, but he deserves star billing.' Daily Telegraph Rory Best is
widely-regarded as one of Ireland's greatest ever captains.
Entrusted by Joe Schmidt to lead the side that looked on the wane
following the 2015 World Cup, Best's inspirational leadership
skills and abrasive qualities proved to be the foundation stones
for the most successful period in Ireland's history. His first year
in charge saw Ireland complete a hat-trick of victories against the
southern hemisphere 'Big Three', including leading his side to a
first ever victory over world champions New Zealand in Chicago, a
feat that etched Best's place in Irish sporting folklore and ended
the All Blacks' record-winning streak of 18 Test victories.
Ireland's annus mirabilis under Best's captaincy would come in 2018
however, when he led the side to only their third Grand Slam title,
culminating with a famous victory over England at Twickenham, and a
record-breaking run of 12 successive Test victories. When he
stepped down as Ireland captain at the age of 37 following the
World Cup in Japan, his fourth tournament, history will no doubt
also judge Best to be one of their greatest forwards. A
hugely-popular figure across the game, Best finished his career as
Ireland's most capped forward, behind only Brian O'Driscoll and
Ronan O'Gara in the all-time records, and also made over 200
appearances for his province Ulster.
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.
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.
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.
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