John Kendall-Carpenter was a truly extraordinary man. He captained
the England rugby team in the early 1950s, when he was widely
regarded as one of the cleverest and most tactically astute players
in the world. At the same time he launched out on a career in
education which saw him not only hold the headmastership of three
well-known public schools but also play a prominent role in the
Headmasters’ Conference in its negotiations with the Labour
Government in the 1970s to ensure the continued independence of
that sector. In addition, the first Rugby World Cup simply would
never have happened without him. President of the Rugby Union in
1980, he was then elected as England’s representative on the
International Rugby Board where his role was to defend the amateur
code which was coming under increasing pressure from
professionalism. His conversion to the cause of international rugby
and the commercial potential of the Word Cup, with his subsequent
passion and energy, was instrumental in getting the first World Cup
in 1987 off the ground and also paved the way towards the
professional game. He then threw himself into the planning of the
next World Cup but sadly died just a year before it started in
1991. John Kendall-Carpenter was remarkable man with many friends
– and a few enemies! – not only in sport, but in education, the
theatre, among politicians and writers. He is still a legend in
Cornwall – his adopted home. This biography will appeal to every
dedicated rugby supporter as well as those interested in sport in
general and how rugby emerged from the fields of English public
schools to the huge commercial sporting event it is today.
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