WINNER OF THE 2010 WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE. Brian Moore, or 'Pitbull' as he came to be known during nearly a decade at the heart of the England rugby team's pack, established himself as one of the game's original hard men at a time when rugby was still an amateur sport. Since his retirement, he has earned a reputation as an equally uncompromising commentator, never afraid to tell it as he sees it and lash out at the money men and professionals that have made rugby into such a different beast. Yet, for all his bullishness on and off the pitch, there also appears a more unconventional, complicated side to the man. A solicitor by trade, Moore's love of fine wine, career experience as a manicurist and preference for reading Shakespeare in the dressing room before games, mark him out as anything but the stereotypical rugby player and in Beware of the Dog Moore lays open with astounding frankness the shocking events, both personal and professional, that have gone towards shaping him over the years. Presenting an unparalleled insight into the mind of one of British rugby's greatest players and characters, Beware of the Dog is a uniquely engaging and upfront sporting memoir, and was a hugely deserving winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year prize.

This is the incredible story of Brian 'Stack' Stevens, born in a remote former mining area of Cornwall with no sporting background, yet found he had an exceptional talent for rugby. When still a teenager, he was playing against established international players but, with Penzance being cut off from the rugby mainstream, he would have very little recognition for a decade. At twenty-eight, following some outstanding county matches for Cornwall, he was at last given an England trial. He won twenty-five full international caps for England over the next six years, including famous wins over the top southern hemisphere teams; he also scored the winning try against the All Blacks in Auckland and represented the British Lions in New Zealand. He was under constant pressure from his father, who needed him at home on the farm, and this prevented him going on a second Lions tour. He temporarily signed for Harlequins to the dismay of his local club Penzance & Newlyn, and had to travel overnight to London for England training and Harlequins matches by hitching a lift on a broccoli lorry to Covent Garden and then back again afterwards. Stack is still very much a favoured son throughout Cornwall, where the locals see him as 'one of their own'. He continued to run the farm after his father died, and became an England selector when he finally stopped playing. In recent years he has suffered from a serious neurological condition but as ever he continues to battle against the odds. This book has been written with the full cooperation of Brian and his family by someone who played with him, and who remains a friend.

In More Blood, Sweat and Beers, World Cup-winning rugby legend Lawrence Dallaglio shares his favourite stories from his time at International rugby's greatest tournament. With razor-sharp wit and good humour he lets the reader behind the closed doors of the tournament, to see what happens on and off the pitch when the cameras aren't looking. All the great names are here - Blanco, Lomu and Pienaar among them - and in his time Dallaglio has shared pints or blows (or both) with them all and has lived to tell the stories. Funny, frank and fully loaded with quick-fire banter these are the best of the best tales of the legends of the International stage.

Rugby World Cup 101 is a compendium of fascinating facts, stats, stories, personalities and trivia - perfect for all fans of rugby from around the world. From the genesis of the tournament in 1987 all the way through to the present day, the Rugby World Cup's rich history is distilled into 101 facts, stats and stories. This entertaining volume is an instructive, if sometimes irreverent - but always affectionate - guide to some of the groundbreaking firsts, controversies, innovations, characters, achievements and disasters that have taken place in rugby's marquee event. Whether an expert or a novice, this is the perfect companion for rugby lovers around the world.

English Rugby 101 is a compendium of fascinating facts, stats, stories, personalities and trivia - perfect for all fans of English rugby. From the very first Test match against Scotland in 1871 all the way through to the present day, England's rugby's rich history is distilled into 101 facts, stats and stories. This entertaining volume is an instructive, if sometimes irreverent - but always affectionate - guide to some of the groundbreaking firsts, controversies, innovations, characters, achievements and disasters that have taken place in at Twickenham and around the world. Whether an expert or a novice, this is the perfect companion for those who follow the exploits of the red-rose warriors on the field and love to bask in light of their glorious (and sometimes inglorious) past.

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.

Fully updated to include Ireland's historic victory over the All Blacks and their 2018 Six Nations Grand Slam. From Jack Kyle's immortals to Brian O'Driscoll's golden generation, this is the story of Irish rugby told in the players' words. Celebrated rugby writer Tom English embarks on a pilgrimage through the four provinces to reveal the fascinating and illuminating story of playing test rugby in the emerald green of Ireland - all the glory of victory, all the pain of defeat, and all the craic behind the scenes.But this is more than just a nostalgic look back through the years, it is a searing portrait of the effects of politics and religion on Irish sport, a story of great schisms and volatile divisions, but also as story of the profound unity, passionate friendships and the bonds of a brotherhood. With exclusive new interview material with a host of Ireland rugby greats, No Borders unveils the compelling truth of what it means to play for Ireland at Lansdowne Road, Croke Park and around the world. This is the ultimate history of Irish rugby - told, definitively, by the men who have been there and done it.

In February 1973, the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland were at their very worst and following Bloody Sunday the previous year neither the Scotland nor Wales rugby teams would dare to travel to Ireland to play. Almost totally reliant on income from International matches, the Irish Rugby Union faced imminent bankruptcy and the Five Nations competition itself hung in the balance. What would England do? The press and public were divided on the subject and the blazers in the corridors of power at Twickenham were at first keen to go but then rather ducked the issue by 'leaving it up to the individual players'. John Pullin had recently been made captain of England and had returned triumphantly from South Africa where, against all the odds, he had led England to a heroic win against the Springboks. This quietly spoken Gloucestershire farmer had established himself as the leading hooker in world rugby at the time and, having consulted his firm friend and opposing captain Willie John McBride, who expressed how desperate the Irish were to stay in the family of rugby nations, he made it abundantly clear that he was going and no less than twelve of his colleagues from the previous match followed him. They were received rapturously by the enormous crowd in Dublin and after the match, which England lost, he stood up at the dinner and uttered the immortal words 'We are not much good but at least we turn up!' It brought the house down and over forty years later he is still revered and loved in Ireland more than any other English sportsman. This is the story of this great England captain, who led his country to victory over the Springboks, the All Blacks on their home soil in Auckland, and the Wallabies, and also played for the British Lions in 1971 on the victorious tour of New Zealand.

The All Blacks have had a brilliant run of brothers in the last decade, with the Barretts, Whitelocks, Saveas and Franks, but there have also been many more standouts throughout New Zealand rugby history like the Meads, Whettons, Gears, Bachops and Brownlies. Jamie Wall writes insightfully, revealing fascinating stories and providing analysis of some of the massive changes that have occurred in New Zealand rugby over the years, while sharing great yarns about the high-profile tests that live on in every rugby fan's memory.

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

An anthology of the Telegraph's best articles written on the World Cup from some of the biggest names in rugby, this publication will coincide with the Rugby World Cup in Autumn 2015. The selection will include articles from Will Carling, Nick Farr Jones (NZ Captain 1991), John Eales (his successor), Will Greenwood, Matt Dawson, Austin Healey, Chris Robshaw, Lawrence Dallaglio, Martin Bayfield etc whose writings have never been collated in a book before. The book will be structured chronologically around the World Cups - 1987 (NZ winners), 1991 (Aus), 1995 (S Africa), 1999 (Aus), 2003 (England), 2007 (S Africa) and 2001 (NZ).

At the start of the 2019 Guinness Six Nations Wales were 9/2 against to win the tournament. Six weeks later they had gone one better and won a historic Grand Slam! On To Glory! tells how Warren Gatland's men defied the odds and expectations to rouse a country behind them and defeat all-comers across an action-packed campaign. Packed with wonderful photographs and exclusive interviews with stars of the tournament such as Alun Wyn Jones, George North, Gareth Anscombe and Warren Gatland, the book takes readers inside the Wales camp and provides a wonderful souvenir of a very special achievement. From the remarkable comeback in Paris, to the training camp in Nice, getting the job done in Italy and then the euphoria of beating England in Cardiff, the book follows the team as they strive to make history. As momentum builds the reader is taken to Murrayfield for the brutal match against a proud Scotland team and then to the Welsh capital for the dramatic decider against the world's second-best team.

Twickenham Stadium is the home of Rugby Union and the England national rugby team. It is the largest stadium in the world to be devoted purely to this sport, the second largest stadium in the UK, and the third largest in Europe. In this official publication, Phil McGowan takes us on an illustrated tour of the long and illustrious history of this magnificent stadium, featuring some of the legendary players that have trodden the hallowed ground of Twickers, the matches that have taken place, and the history that is woven into the fabric of the ground. Lavishly illustrated with images and memorabilia from the World Rugby Museum's archive, this is a tribute not only to the history of the stadium, but to Rugby Union itself.

Listed as one of the five worst international selections ever, and described in a book about Scottish rugby as 'a full back slower than your average prop', Ian Smith cheerfully won eight caps for Scotland in a career that saw him score every point for his team on his debut in an historic victory over South Africa (and in so doing became the first Scottish full back to score a Test try) and defeated a star-studded England team to lift the Calcutta Cup at Murrayfield in the 1970 Five Nations. One of eight international full backs to have come out of Heriot's FP, Smith also played for a dashing, innovative Edinburgh University side that revolutionised attacking back play. But this book is so much more than a story of a fleeting Test career. It is a window to another time, when a player could appear, as Smith did, for his club's third XV and two weeks later make his international debut for his country. And then, eight Tests later, return to his club where he was only considered good enough to play for the second XV.

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.

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.

Welsh Rugby 101 is a compendium of fascinating facts, stats, stories, personalities and trivia - perfect for all fans of Welsh rugby. From the very first Test match against England in 1881 all the way through to the present day, Welsh rugby's rich history is distilled into 101 facts, stats and stories. This entertaining volume is an instructive, if sometimes irreverent - but always affectionate - guide to some of the groundbreaking firsts, controversies, innovations, characters, achievements and disasters that have taken place in the Principality over the years. Whether an expert or a novice, this is the perfect companion for those who follow Wales's exploits on the field and love to bask in light of its glorious (and sometimes inglorious) past.

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.

This is the story of a man from early twentieth century rural Cork who rose to the heights of the RAF and excelled as a major figure in international rugby in the 1920s and 1930s. Air Marshal George Beamish was one of the famous 'Flying Beamishes' - six siblings who were all members of the RAF; a record they hold to this day. The highlights of his career include responsibility for the air evacuation after the Battle of Crete in 1941, participation in the Desert War and his spell as Air ADC to King George VI. In 1949, Beamish was appointed Commandant of RAF Cranwell, where he had been awarded the prestigious Sword of Honour in the 1920s. In 1962, he was appointed High Sheriff of County Londonderry and, on the strength of his military and sporting records, ran for nomination for a Northern Ireland seat in Parliament. A good all-round sportsman, Beamish excelled at rugby. He was capped 25 times for Ireland, which he also captained. He participated in the 1930 Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand and captained a regional team in an heroic victory over the Springboks in 1931. Gritty, determined, sporty, gruff and focused, Beamish died in 1967 at the age of sixty-two after a remarkable life and two astonishing careers.

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.

Fully updated to contain Sir Ian McGeechan's reflections on the 2017 Lions tour to New Zealand. 2017 saw the latest contest between the British Lions and New Zealand - the ultimate rugby clash between the northern and southern hemisphere. Ian McGeechan is the 'Ultimate Lion', and no one could have done more than McGeechan to promote the magic of the Lions. McGeechan played for the Lions in their unbeaten 1974 tour of South Africa, and again in the 1977 tour of New Zealand. Subsequently he has been the head coach on four Lions tours. In this unique and fascinating book which celebrates the immensity of rugby at the top level, Ian McGeechan uses his own coaching notes to provide his special insight and background into what it means to be a Lion. By looking at various themes such as selection, how to create the right environment and how to build the players into what he describes as 'Test-match animals' the reader learns how some of the most successful Lions tours in history were built. Writing always with passion for his various themes it is easy to see how he inspired his players to extraordinary physical endeavour. Rich in anecdote as well as facts, McGeechan brings to life many of the rugby legends with whom he played or coached - including Gareth Edwards, Gavin Hastings, Martin Johnson and Paul O'Connell amongst others. Hugely readable The Lions: When the Going Gets Tough splendidly conveys the massive excitement that is generated whenever there is a Lions tour.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE CROSS SPORTS BOOK AWARDS BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR 'Engage!' was the last word Matt Hampson heard before dislocating his neck while in rugby training with other young England hopefuls. On a cold, grey, overcast day in 2005, the cream of young English rugby gathered at a Northampton training ground. Matt Hampson, 'Hambo' to his mates, was one of them. He had dreamt of playing rugby for England ever since he had picked up a rugby ball at school. His skill, conviction and dedication had brought him to the cusp of realising that dream, in an England U21 team that included Olly Morgan, Toby Flood, Ben Foden and James Haskell. But as the two sets of forwards engaged for a scrum on the training field, the scrum collapsed and Matt, who played tight-head prop, took the full force of two opposing sides. In that moment his life changed forever. Paul Kimmage went to visit Matt as he recuperated, and wrote a piece for the Sunday Times which won him his third successive SJA sports interviewer of the year award. They struck up a friendship and here, Paul tells Matt's whole story, in all its intimate detail. From the build-up to the dreadful day, to Matt's recuperation, to his struggle to adjust to normal life again, to his family and friends, to other tragic incidents on the rugby field, to the response of the RFU, this is a story of terrible sadness yet unadorned triumph and joy, of anger yet of reconciliation and peace . . . of a boy who became a man.

'He's a great coach. He lives and breathes the game. There's nothing he doesn't know' Brian O'Driscoll 'The best coach Irish rugby - arguably Irish sport - has ever had' Malachy Clerkin, Irish Times In the autumn of 2010, a little-known New Zealander called Joe Schmidt took over as head coach at Leinster. He had never been in charge of a professional team. After Leinster lost three of their first four games, a prominent Irish rugby pundit speculated that Schmidt had 'lost the dressing room'. Nine years on, Joe Schmidt has stepped down as Ireland coach having achieved success on a scale never before seen in Irish rugby. Two Heineken Cups in three seasons with Leinster. Three Six Nations championships in six seasons with Ireland, including the Grand Slam in 2018. And a host of firsts: the first Irish victory in South Africa; the first Irish defeat of the All Blacks, and then a second; and Ireland's first number 1 world ranking. Along the way, Schmidt became a byword for precision and focus in coaching, remarkable attention to detail and the highest of standards. But who is Joe Schmidt? In Ordinary Joe, Schmidt tells the story of his life and influences: the experiences and management ideas that made him the coach, and the man, that he is today. And his diaries of the 2018 Grand Slam and the 2019 Rugby World Cup provide a brilliantly intimate insight into the stresses and joys of coaching a national team in victory and defeat. From the small towns in New Zealand's North Island where he played barefoot rugby and jostled around the dinner table with seven siblings, to the training grounds and video rooms where he consistently kept his teams a step ahead of the opposition, Ordinary Joe reveals an ordinary man who has helped his teams to achieve extraordinary things. 'Rugby obsessives and amateur coaches will revel in the insight that Schmidt offers into his training methods, tactics and preparation ... Full of insight, emotion and considered analysis' Irish Daily Mail 'An insight into the fascinating personality of the man who has been the single most influential figure in Irish rugby over the last decade' Irish Times 'He is clearly more than an ordinary coach, the winning of two Heinekens, beating New Zealand twice, the 2018 Grand Slam and reaching no.1 in the World Rankings are positive brushstrokes, marking Irish rugby for ever ... A rocky read about exceptional deeds, told in extraordinary fashion' Irish Daily Star 'Undoubtedly the greatest coach in Irish rugby history' Daily Telegraph

SHORTLISTED FOR THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2020 - RUGBY BOOK OF THE YEAR This is a complete history of the Welsh rugby union team - told by the players themselves. Based on a combination of painstaking research into the early years of the Wales team to interviews with a vast array of Test match players and coaches from the Second World War to the present day, Ross Harries delves to the very heart of what it means to play for Wales, painting a unique and utterly compelling picture of the game in the only words that can truly do so: the players' own. Behind the Dragon lifts the lid on what it is to pull on the famous red shirt - 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 the ultimate history of Welsh rugby - told, definitively, by the men who have been there and done it.

Dan Carter's last game as an All Black culminated with him declared Man of the Match following the 2015 Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham - an unforgettable ending to the career of the greatest fly-half of all time. But along with the triumphs of his signature World Cup win, his performance against the Lions in 2005, and an unprecedented run of Bledisloe Cup successes, there was also the pain and doubt he felt during a prolonged period of injury and rehab following the 2011 World Cup. He watched that victory from the sidelines, as he had the All Blacks' defeats in two previous tournaments. Indeed, heading into the 2015 World Cup he had never finished the competition on his own terms. His autobiography tells of that redemption, and gets you up close and personal with one of the most celebrated sportsmen of our time. Threaded throughout the book is an intimate diary of his final year as a Crusader and All Black, during which he worked tirelessly to make one last run at that elusive goal: a World Cup victory achieved on the field. Dan Carter's autobiography is essential reading for all sports fans.