Book 8 in the acclaimed Rugby Spirit series. Eoin Madden and his friends are back at school and it looks like it will be a fun year with new subjects and activities to try. After all his years on the Junior Cup team, Eoin is looking forward to a break from rugby this year; when there's a chance to play soccer instead, he jumps at it! But it's hard to set up a football team at a rugby-mad school like Castlerock - can the boys do it? And who is the ghostly footballer with links to Dalymount Park that Eoin and his friends keep meeting? Eoin usually sees ghosts when trouble is brewing, so is something wrong at the football grounds? From the Busby Babes of the 1950s to the Castlerock Red Rockets, football links the generations.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, David Campese thrilled spectators both in Australia and overseas with his footloose, crazy-brave style of free running. This book tells the story of his rise from humble beginnings to the very top of a global sport.

As a rugby player, David Campese seemed to operate on cross-grained pure instinct, one that left many a defender clutching at him in vain, stranded in the slipstream of his audacity. Hailed as the 'Bradman of rugby' by former Wallaby coach Alan Jones, and the 'Pele' of rugby by others, Campese was a match-winner. The refrain 'I saw Campese play' now speaks to much more than wistful reminiscences about a player widely regarded as the most entertaining ever to play the game of Rugby Union. It has come to represent a state of chronic disbelief that the Wallaby ascendancy of Campese's era has been seemingly squandered.

Campese occupies a unique intersection in rugby's history: one of its last amateurs, and one of its first professionals. He had shown, too, that coming from outside the traditional bastions of rugby - the private schools and universities - was no barrier to reaching the top. Indeed, he challenged that establishment and unsettled it, warning in the early 1990s that the code risked 'dying' if more was not done to expand its appeal.

David Campese revolutionised how the game was played and appreciated. His genius, most visibly manifest in his outrageous goosestep, captured the national and sporting imagination. The rigid, robotic rugby of today appears incapable of accommodating a player of his dash and daring.

Winner of the Telegraph Sports Book Awards Rugby Book of the Year Among the best stories in modern British team sport has been the rise of Exeter Chiefs. How, exactly, did an unfashionable rugby team from Devon emerge from obscurity to become the double champions of England and Europe? What makes them tick? What are their secrets? Exe Men is a compelling story of regional pride, fierce rural identity, larger-than-life local heroes, remarkable characters, epic resilience, big city snobbery, geographical separation, steepling ambition and personal sacrifice which will strike a chord with anyone who enjoys a classic underdog story. This is not any old rugby book, it is the inside story of Exeter's incredible journey from the edge of nowhere to the summit of the English and European club game.

Over the last 20 years the professionalization of both codes of rugby (league and union) has led to increasing demands on players. The Science of Sport: Rugby provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of the science behind preparing for performance in rugby. Using key scientific research and practical applications, the book offers an insight into how science can inform practice to improve player performance. The authors contributing to this book are world leading in their respective fields, ranging from academics researching rugby performance to practitioners delivering this information within the professional game. This new book covers: movement and physiological demands; fitness testing; fatigue and recovery; nutrition; strength and conditioning; injury rehabilitation; decision-making; skill assessments; young rugby players; talent identification and development; referees and finally, coaching planning and practice. This book bridges the gap between theory and practical application.

Forty years ago, a South African rugby tour in the United States became a crucial turning point for the nation's burgeoning protests against apartheid and a test of American foreign policy. In Flashpoint: How a Little-Known Sporting Event Fueled America's Anti-Apartheid Movement, Derek Charles Catsam tells the fascinating story of the Springbok's 1981 US tour and its impact on the country's anti-apartheid struggle. The US lagged well behind the rest of the Western world when it came to addressing the vexing question of South Africa's racial policies, but the rugby tour changed all that. Those who had been a part of the country's tiny anti-apartheid struggle for decades used the visit from one of white South Africa's most cherished institutions to mobilize against both apartheid sport and the South African regime more broadly. Protestors met the South African team at airports, chanted outside their hotels, and courted arrests at matches, which ranged from the bizarre to the laughable, with organizers going to incredible lengths to keep their locations secret. In telling the story of how a sport little appreciated in the United States nonetheless became ground zero for the nation's growing anti-apartheid movement, Flashpoint serves as a poignant reminder that sports and politics have always been closely intertwined.

For 125 years the British & Irish Lions have stood out as a peerless emblem in world sport. This unique account of the best from the four Home Nations examines every tour in the Lions' history, including the victorious 2013 tour to Hong Kong and Australia, told in the players' words. Behind the Lions sees rugby writers from across the Home Nations delve to the heart of what it means to be a Lion, interviewing a vast array of former and current players to uncover the passion, pride and exhilaration experienced when wearing the famous red jersey. It is a tale of heartbreak and ecstasy, humour and poignancy that is at once inspirational, moving and utterly compelling. This is the story of the British & Irish Lions in their own words.

A collection of biographical, anecdotal, and literary essays on Britain's consuming passion for rugby, this account describes the exploits of the people's heroes from Gould to Gareth Edwards. The beauty and exhilaration of the game is vividly recaptured in classic prose, as are the emotions and expectations of the most passionate rugby aficionados in the world. From the humorous to the erudite, this selection features work from the likes of Richard Burton, Frank Keating, John Morgan, Dylan Thomas, Alan Watkins, and Harry Webb.

THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CAPTAIN IN WORLD RUGBY HISTORY, IN HIS OWN WORDS Richie McCaw, Rugby World Cup winning captain and the New Zealand All Black's most capped player of all time, is unquestionably the greatest player of his generation. He is arguably the most talented player of all time. In his bestselling autobiography, McCaw talks with brutal honesty about the roots of his family life that defined his character and how it gave him the strength to emerge from the lowest moment in his career to lift the Webb Ellis Cup, and become the most successful captain world rugby has ever seen. As the first captain to successfully defend the World Cup, McCaw has set the standard of what a professional rugby player should be. Hugely popular and respected, his sheer presence means that he is a natural leader both on and off the pitch and his story is not just a brutal account of life on the front line, but an exhilarating portrait of modern rugby.

Irish Sports Book Award 2021 Winner! Fight Or Flight: My Life, My Choices is the autobiography of Irish rugby legend Keith Earls. Keith Earls started out in senior rugby as a teenage star and during the course of his long career has become one of the most admired and respected players of his generation. A British & Irish Lion at the age of 21, he is now closing in on his 34th birthday and still playing at the top of his game. He has won 93 caps for Ireland and played over 180 games in the famous red of Munster. He started every match of the 2018 Six Nations campaign that culminated in an Irish Grand Slam victory. A lethal finisher blessed with a sprinter’s speed, Earls is the second-highest try scorer of all time for his country. With Munster he is one try short of the all-time total and looks set to break that record next season. Yet, Earls has achieved these milestones whilst being racked by private battles with his mental health for most of his career. A number of crises brought him to the brink of voluntary retirement from the game. A native of Limerick city, Earls grew up in one of its most socially disadvantaged housing estates. Moyross was blighted by crime and violence and he did not escape unscathed from the surrounding fear and trauma visited upon his beloved community. His natural talent brought him into the privileged bastion of elite rugby union. His autobiography tells the story of his long struggle to reconcile the world whence he came with the world opened up by his brilliance with an oval ball. Earls has maintained a low profile throughout his career. For the first time he will talk in depth and at length about the inner turmoil that went unseen by team-mates, friends and fans. It is a confessional, intimate and courageous story of the pain that was a constant companion to the glory. Earls says: “It’s not me at all to be doing anything remotely like an autobiography. I don’t like talking about myself, I don’t like bringing attention to myself. And I guess that’s one reason why I am doing it. We’re supposed to get out of our comfort zone. I’ve learned enough along the way to know that much. It’s where your progress and growth happens. I hope if I can share some of my life experiences here, it might inspire others.�

Behind the Silver Fern is a comprehensive 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 the World Cup team of 2019, this unique history of the All Blacks lifts the lid on their experiences like never before. Thanks to exhaustive archival research and exclusive new material garnered from a vast array of interviews with players and coaches from across the decades, Tony Johnson and Lynn McConnell unveil the compelling truth of what it means to play for the most successful team in the history of sport - all the glory and the drama on the field, the great friendships off it, and the bonds of a brotherhood that extend far beyond the bright lights of a Test match. Absorbing and illuminating, this is the ultimate history of All Black rugby - told, definitively, by the men who have been there and done it.

This lavish and richly illustrated official history of the Harlequin Football Club has been produced to celebrate the 150th anniversary of one of the world's most famous rugby clubs. Nunquam Dormio - the club's motto, 'I Never Sleep' - brings the rich history and heritage of this unique club to life, telling the story of the journey from nomadic amateur club to premier, professional organisation over 264 lavishly designed pages brimming with previously unseen photographs and images of historic memorabilia. Written by highly respected rugby writer Brendan Gallagher in association with many of the key figures in the club's history and compiled by an award-winning publishing team, this book has been put together with the style and spirit of excellence with which Harlequin Football Club is synonymous very much in mind. It focuses not just on the triumphs and the trophies, but crucially the individual and inspirational Harlequins who encapsulate the 'Harlequin Way' and have ensured that the club has always been at the forefront of the game's development - the rugby pioneers who forged not just the shape of the club but rugby itself; the numerous Harlequin war heroes; the great amateurs who devoted everything on top of their day jobs and, in modern times, those who have embraced the professional era and ensured that the magenta, French grey, light blue and chocolate brown quartered flag continues to fly at the pinnacle of the game. Nunquam Dormio is a living, breathing history of Harlequin FC and a fitting centrepiece for its 150th anniversary celebrations.

'A rollicking read and a mighty achievement' - Donald McRae, The Guardian 'Magnificent' - Owen Slot, The Times The 1997 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa is one of the most iconic in rugby history. Written off at home and abroad, Martin Johnson's men were given no hope of success against the world champion Springboks in their own backyard. But a combination of brilliant coaching, astute selections and outstanding players laid the foundations for the touring side's outstanding attacking mindset and brutal stonewall defence. On the other side was a team expected to stamp their authority on the tourists and confirm their place as the best side on the planet. But with political, racial and economic scandals swirling around the Springbok camp, plus a rookie coach parachuted into office just before the tour began, the hosts were under huge pressure. In a Test series that will go down in legend as one of the most compelling of all time, the sides could barely be separated. This is the inside story from both camps as they battle for supremacy, lifting the lid like never before as a huge cast of characters look back on those extraordinary weeks and the impact it had on their lives and careers thereafter. Hilarious, insightful and spine-chilling, Tom English and Peter Burns provide the perfect read for all Lions fans.

A hilarious and, at times, moving and soul-searching account of rugby union's rollercoaster days in the 1990s, told through the eyes of a player who saw it all as the sport lurched shambolically from the crazy final days of amateurism into the professional era. Martin Bayfield has a story to tell. Indeed, some might describe it as a very tall story. Standing at 6ft 10ins, the former England and British and Irish Lions second row remains one of the tallest players ever to have played international rugby, and his immense physical stature made him one of the most destructive forwards in the world game. He played for England during one of the most successful eras in English rugby, winning two Grand Slams alongside legendary players such as Will Carling, Jeremy Guscott, Brian Moore and Rory Underwood. His international heyday came at a seminal moment for rugby union when, almost overnight, it was transformed from a noble minority sport to a celebrity event, with stories appearing on the front pages of the British tabloids. Now Bayfield is ready to reveal the inside story of that rip-roaring decade that changed forever the face of English rugby. The book provides an emotional link between the generations, so that today's fans can reconnect with rugby's soul. Renowned as one of rugby's best and most entertaining storytellers, the former policeman and Hagrid's body double has written a brilliant and very funny love letter to a sport that continues to inspire and entertain millions.

Too big for the Primary School reps, and in his day the tallest man to have played on Lancaster Park, Nugget Pringle won Wellington caps in his first season of senior rugby with the Oriental Club, and went on to win an All Black cap the following year, 1923. In the training camp before the first test against New South Wales he proved a great entertainer and his Salome was a scream, but a cauliflower ear (one of many) led to his withdrawal from the match. He scored a try in the second test, which the All Blacks won handsomely, but, despite every endeavour for the next 4 years, failed to gain a second cap. En route he played for and against the All Blacks and against New Zealand Maoris, winning all three and scoring a try in two. Fate's fickle fingers nonetheless conspired, through injury, illness, selection policy and sheer misfortune, to cause him to miss further home internationals as well as tours to Australia and South Africa. Most importantly, although a hot favourite all season, he missed out by a whisker on a place with the 1924/25 Invincibles. With the benefit of contemporary press cuttings in the family scrapbook, and from the archives, we follow here his playing career at club, representative and national level, while we also learn of his achievements in the worlds of athletics and cricket, and how he gained the unusual distinction of playing both rugby and cricket, as well as winning the shot put, on Athletic Park. A genial giant who gave his all for the game he loved, but, in terms of his playing career and All Black appearances, was he the Unluckiest All Black? Judge for yourself.

In 2011 the world was shocked when the news broke that Joost van der Westhuizen, known for years as the golden boy of South African rugby and a former Springbok captain, had been diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND).

This rare condition attacks the central nervous system, causing progressive disability. There is no known cure. All who have seen Joost in action will know that he is not one to give up without a fight. His game-changing prowess as a brilliant scrum half is now focused on a battle for survival and, more importantly, on making a difference to the lives of others with the disease. In a race against time, Joost has a dream to fulfil. He says: “In the beginning you go through all the emotions and you ask, ‘Why me?’ It’s quite simple. ‘Why not me?’ If I have to go through this to help future generations, why not me?” His acceptance of his symptoms is equally pragmatic: “One day you can’t move your arm, another day you don’t have speech. Every day you are reborn and you take the day as it comes.”

Glory Game – The Joost van der Westhuizen Story is a compelling narrative of redemption set against the backdrop of an illustrious career in rugby. It is the story of a modern-day warrior forced to face his own human frailty. Joost shows us that beyond ambition, success and fame lies the true wealth of family and friends, and that within a ravaged body the spirit can remain invincible.

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.

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

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.

Winner of the Daily Telegraph Rugby Book of the Year The Sunday Times bestselling rugby book of the year Brilliant, honest, combative - Eddie Jones is a true legend of world rugby and remains an enigmatic figure in the game. In My Life and Rugby he tells his story for the first time, including the full inside account of England's 2019 World Cup campaign. He describes his experience growing up in a tough working-class area of Sydney, where he first played rugby, and how he learnt from the extreme highs and lows of his own playing career - the numerous successes but also the painful disappointment of never playing for Australia. He tells how he then embarked on a coaching career that has seen him become one of the most experienced and decorated coaches in Rugby Union, spanning four World Cups and three finals. His successes have included masterminding England's spectacular victory over New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup and engineering the sport's most stunning upset when Japan beat South Africa in 2015. My Life and Rugby is the story of one of the most compelling and singular figures in rugby. Told with unflinching honesty, this is the ultimate book for all fans of the sport. Written with Donald McRae, twice winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award and three-time Sports Feature Writer of the Year, My Life and Rugby is the story of one of the most compelling and singular figures in rugby. Told with unflinching honesty, this is the ultimate rugby book for all fans of the sport. A Best Book of the Year - Daily Mail, Sunday Times, The Times

A collection of humorous, touching and uplifting stories about life, rugby and everything else by one of South Africa’s true rugby legends...

Theuns Stofberg’s illustrious rugby career spanned from 1976 to 1985, and he is commonly considered one of the all-time Springbok greats. As the 36th captain of the Springboks, one of only 56 players to be given this honour, he was tough and uncompromising on the field but a true gentleman and great raconteur off it, which he proves with the anecdotes collected in this book.

In Stories from the Touchline, he takes the reader behind the scenes, from his childhood days as a schoolboy rugby player to the 1981 flour-bomb tour of New Zealand and winning the Currie Cup for three different provinces – a feat unmatched to this day. He also writes about what it was like playing with legends such as Morné du Plessis, Gerrie Germishuys, Schalk Burger Sr and Gysie Pienaar, marvels at the fans' odd and often colourful behaviour, and affords readers a fascinating glimpse into the amateur days of rugby in South Africa. He also shares his personal struggles with a speech impediment and ill health, and coping with family tragedy, in his own inimitable way. By turns deeply personal, amusing and nostalgic, this book will be treasured by each and every South African rugby fan.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE TELEGRAPH RUGBY BOOK OF THE YEAR The truth about being a rugby player from the horsey's mouth. This book is not just about how a psychiatrist called Humphrey helped me get back on my horse and clippity-clop all the way to the World Cup semi-final in Japan. It's the story of how a fat kid who had to live up to the nickname Psycho grew up to play and party for over a decade with rugby's greatest pros and live weird and wonderful moments both in and out of the scrum. That's why I'm letting you read my diary on my weirdest days. You never know what you're going to get with me. From being locked in a police cell to singing Adele on Jonathan Ross (I'll let you decide which is worse), being kissed by a murderer on the number 51 bus to drug tests where clipboard-wielding men hover inches away from my naked genitalia, melting opponents in rucks, winning tackles, and generally losing blood, sweat and ears in the name of the great sport of rugby. This is how (not) to be a rugby player.

""Nobody ever beats Wales at rugby. They just score more points." --Graham Mourie, former New Zealand captain"
In the 1970s, an age long before World Cups, rugby union to the British public meant Bill McLaren, rude songs, and, most of all, Wales. Between 1969 and 1979, the men in red shirts won or shared eight Five Nations Championships, including three Grand Slams and six Triple Crowns. But the mere facts resonate less than the enduring images of the precision of Gareth Edwards, the sublime touch of Barry John, the sidesteps of Gerald Davies and Phil Bennett, the courage and extravagant sideburns of J.P.R. Williams, and the forward power of the Pontypool Front Row and "Merv the Swerve" Davies. To the land of their fathers, these Welsh heroes represented pride and conquest at a time when the decline of the province's traditional coal and steel industries was sending thousands to the dole queue and threatening the fabric of local communities. Yet the achievements of those players transcended their homeland and extended beyond mere rugby fans. With the help of comedian Max Boyce, the culture of Welsh rugby and valley life permeated Britain's living rooms at the height of prime time, reinforcing the sporting brilliance that lit up winter Saturday afternoons. In "Nobody Beats Us," David Tossell, who spent the 1970s as a schoolboy scrum-half trying to perfect the Gareth Edwards reverse pass, interviews many of the key figures of a golden age of Welsh rugby and vividly recreates an unforgettable sporting era.

'A mesmerising, unforgettable journey around world rugby. ' – Donald McRae – Twice Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year ‘Magnificent … a hugely intelligent and entertaining interweaving series of tales that gets into the “how� of rugby.’ - Stuart Barnes, Sunday Times and Times columnist, former Bath and England fly half --- Contrasting characters, colliding cultures, the same oval-shaped ball. A journey to find the game’s most remarkable people, teams and places, and unearth the true meaning of rugby greatness. What makes rugby special? Which individuals and teams have defined the modern game? Ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, Around the World in 80 Minutes charts the ‘golden era’ of global rugby union between 1973 and 2023 and goes in search of the sport’s most influential trailblazers. Robert Kitson, the Guardian’s long-time rugby union correspondent, assesses the game’s current health, tracks down the battered gladiators of yesteryear and asks some pertinent questions. Does rugby retain its old rugged charm? What does its future look like? And what, ultimately, constitutes rugby ‘greatness’? Observant, amusing and thought-provoking, the journey takes in some of the game's more prominent names – including David Campese, Brian O’Driscoll, Maggie Alphonsi, Sean Fitzpatrick, Eddie Jones and Sir Clive Woodward – to reflect on rugby’s intangible shared joy. Millions of fans continue to find rugby maddeningly irresistible and endlessly compelling. This book is for them, and for anyone else wondering where the appeal lies.