Download or read book The Real McCaw written by Richie McCaw and published by Aurum. This book was released on 2012-11-08 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 he prepares to become 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.

Download or read book Barbarians Gentlemen and Players written by Eric Dunning and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This revised edition of a classic text explores the development of rugby from a folk game into its modern forms. Updated with a substantial new foreword and epilogue.

Download or read book The Oval World written by Tony Collins and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2015-08-27 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rugby has always been a sport with as much drama off the field as on it. For every thrilling last-minute Jonny Wilkinson drop-goal to win the world cup or Jonah Lomu rampage down the touchline for a try, there has been a split, a feud or a controversy. The Oval World is the first full-length history of rugby on a world scale – from its origins in the village-based football games of medieval times up to the globalised sport of the twenty-first century,now played in well over 100 countries. It tells the story of how a game played in an obscure English public school became the winter sport of the British Empire, spread to France, Argentina, Japan and the rest of the world and commanded a global television audience of over four billion for the last world cup final. And how American football – and other games such as Australian, Canadian and Gaelic football – emerged from rugby and highlight just how much the modern gridiron game owes to its English cousin. Featuring the great moments in the game's history and its great names – such as Jonah Lomu, David Duckham, Serge Blanco, Billy Boston and David Campese alongside Rupert Brooke, King George V, Boris Karloff, Charles de Gaulle and Nelson Mandela – The Oval World investigates just what it is about rugby that enables it to survive and thrive in countries with very different traditions and cultures. This is the the definitive world history of a truly global rugby.

Download or read book A Social History of English Rugby Union written by Tony Collins and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2009-01-13 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the myth of William Webb Ellis to the glory of the 2003 World Cup win, this book explores the social history of rugby union in England. Ever since Tom Brown’s Schooldays the sport has seen itself as the guardian of traditional English middle-class values. In this fascinating new history, leading rugby historian Tony Collins demonstrates how these values have shaped the English game, from the public schools to mass spectator sport, from strict amateurism to global professionalism. Based on unprecedented access to the official archives of the Rugby Football Union, and drawing on an impressive array of sources from club minutes to personal memoirs and contemporary literature, the book explores in vivid detail the key events, personalities and players that have made English rugby. From an era of rapid growth at the end of the nineteenth century, through the terrible losses suffered during the First World War and the subsequent ‘rush to rugby’ in the public and grammar schools, and into the periods of disorientation and commercialisation in the 1960s through to the present day, the story of English rugby union is also the story of the making of modern England. Like all the very best writers on sport, Tony Collins uses sport as a prism through which to better understand both culture and society. A ground-breaking work of both social history and sport history, A Social History of English Rugby Union tells a fascinating story of sporting endeavour, masculine identity, imperial ideology, social consciousness and the nature of Englishness.

Download or read book Michael Owen written by Michael Owen and published by Kings Road Publishing. This book was released on 2011-10-27 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael Owen's rugby union career took him from the valleys of his native south Wales to Pontypridd, the Newport Gwent Dragons and the glory of captaining Wales to Grand Slam glory in 2005 and later leading the British Lions. One of Wales' most naturally talented rugby players, he moved to the English Premiership with Saracens before injury cruelly cut him down in his prime. By 29, his vocation as a professional rugby player was over.

Download or read book The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players written by Alan Whiticker and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 690 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book My Autobiography written by Rory Best and published by Hodder & Stoughton. This book was released on 2020-03-05 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: '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.

Download or read book The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players written by Alan Whiticker and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 612 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book My Life and Rugby written by Eddie Jones and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2019-11-21 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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

Download or read book Belonging The Autobiography written by Alun Wyn Jones and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2021-09-16 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'People think they know him but unless you read this book you will never know the REAL Alun Wyn Jones' – Warren Gatland ‘One of the greatest, and seemingly indestructible, players in history' – A Daily Mail Book of the Year Belonging is the story about how the boy from Mumbles became the most capped rugby union player of all time. It is the story of what it takes to become a man who is seen by many as one of the greatest ever Welsh players. What it takes to go from sitting cross-legged on the hall floor at school watching the 1997 Lions tour of South Africa, to being named the 2021 Lions captain. But is it also about perthyn – belonging: playing for Wales, working his way through the age grades and club rugby and his regional side. How to earn the right to be there, and what it feels like to make the sacrifices along the way. Feeling the connection to players who have come before, and feeling the ties to the millions in front rooms and pubs across the country, coast to coast. Knowing that deep down you want to belong, as everyone does. From playing on the rain-swept pitches of Swansea to making his test debut against Argentina in Patagonia in 2006; from touring with the Lions in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2021 to dealing with loss and creating a family – Belonging is the autobiography of one of the most compelling figures in world rugby. Told with characteristic honesty, this is his unique personal story of what it takes and what it means to play for your country: what it means to belong.

Download or read book Second Row American Rugby written by M. Stefan Strozier and published by World Audience Inc. This book was released on 2013-12-17 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Second Row is a story of a man trying to become a writer and at the same time learning the complex sport of rugby. It's an in-depth analysis of the game of rugby, history of the game, and coverage of key American matches, including at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. This story is written in a clear way so that a person with no knowledge of rugby will finish reading understanding the sport. Second Row is a story of a team of men who are a family.

Download or read book Loose Head written by Joe Marler and published by Random House. This book was released on 2020-10-01 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Fringes written by Ben Mercer and published by Outlier Press. This book was released on 2021-07-24 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Updated edition of the #1 Amazon Bestseller LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE 2020 Sports books tend to detail extraordinary achievements, triumphs against the odds or commemorate World Cup winning captains. This book does not do that. For many, playing professional sport is the Dream Job. Few manage it, very few make it to the top and for the rest, life is very different. This is their story. In Fringes, Ben Mercer invites you to witness life at the outer edges of professional rugby. This is a first hand account of what life is like as a journeyman professional athlete. You play, but to the wider public you don't exist. You earn but you don't drive a flash car. You sometimes pack out a stadium but sometimes, you play in a deserted park. This is the story for the majority of sports professionals. Only the minority taste the top, only one person gets to lift the cup or win the medal, only 15 get to play for England at any one time. For the rest, that’s not the case. Ben Mercer is a former professional rugby player who after becoming disillusioned and uninspired plying his trade in the English Second Division, accepted an offer out of the blue to go to France and do something different - help an amateur team turn professional. This is a first hand account of what life is like in the lower reaches of professional sport - where your employment status is as precarious as your health and barely anyone will know your name. It's about how it feels to live year to year, with teammates constantly on the move. It's about how professionalism irreversibly changes the French club Stade Rouennais as they move up the divisions, about the tension between progress and identity in a rugby team. It's also about how it feels to actually be out there on the field, how it feels to occasionally do something extraordinary and how it feels when this is no longer enough for you to make the sacrifices that you need to make to keep playing. There's no ghostwriting, it's an unmitigated meditation on how it feels and what it means to play rugby for a living, to dedicate yourself to an uncompromising but occasionally beautiful game. If you've wanted to know what life is really like as a professional athlete, on the Fringes, away from the glitz and glamour of the international game then look no further.

Download or read book Gaz written by Mark Gasnier and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2012-08-01 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the story of a football champion who crammed more highs and lows into an 11-year career than just about any player of his generation. Carrying the surname of his uncle and Immoral Reg, he had blinding pace, a shimmy, a step and an innate sense of timing. Whether it was for St George Illawarra, NSW or Australia, he could seemingly sniff out a try at will. As former NSW coach Phil Gould once remarked: “Mark Gasnier, the best centre I have seen.” Yet for a game that came to him so naturally, Gasnier’s career was never so straightforward. His famous bloodlines and the notorious hoodoo that had seen the Dragons fail to win a premiership in three decades meant the weight of expectation never went away. A drunken phone call during a NSW bonding session that led to his sacking on the eve of his Origin debut, the curse of injury and the ultimate decision to walk away from the game and play rugby union for Paris glamour club Stade Francais only add to his complex journey. Those obstacles only made the finish _ when he returned to the NRL to win the grand final with St George Illawarra_ sweeter ... before he shocked everyone again with the early announcement of his retirement. Throughout his career, Gasnier was guarded with the media. For the first time, he candidly tells his story.

Download or read book Proud written by Gareth Thomas and published by Random House. This book was released on 2014-09-11 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: **WINNER British Sports Book Awards SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR** **Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award** Gareth Thomas had it all. He was a national hero, a sporting icon. He was a leader of men, captain of Wales and the British Lions. To him, rugby was an expression of cultural identity, a sacred code. It was no mere ball game. It gave him everything, except the freedom to be himself. This is the story of a man with a secret that was slowly killing him. Something that might devastate not only his own life but the lives of his wife, family, friends and teammates. The only place where he could find any refuge from the pain and guilt of the lie he was living was on the pitch, playing the sport he loved. But all his success didn’t make the strain of hiding who he really was go away. His fear that telling the truth about his sexuality would lose him everything he loved almost sent him over the edge. The deceit ended when Gareth became the world’s most prominent athlete to come out as a gay man. His gesture has strengthened strangers, and given him a fresh perspective. Gareth’s inspiring and moving story transcends the world of sport to tell a universal truth about feeling like an outsider, and facing up to who you really are.

Download or read book Confessions of a Rugby Mercenary written by John Daniell and published by Random House. This book was released on 2009-04-02 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Daniell is a rubgy mercenary. A brutal word for an often brutal game. In 1996, when Rugby Union turned professional, John emigrated to France where he played for a decade in top competitions. His team ricocheted between fear and ecstasy, as they battled to save the club from relegation and their careers from the scrap heap. Now he lifts the lid on the dark world of the journeyman player, where losing a home game is considered a crime, coaches and club owners will do anything to win, and agents ruthlessly manipulate players. His compelling confessions are both shocking and funny, taking you behind the scenes, onto the field and into the very heart of the scrum.

Download or read book Kieran Read Straight 8 The Autobiography written by Kieran Read and published by Headline. This book was released on 2019-11-21 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: SHORTLISTED FOR INTERNATIONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR AT THE 2020 TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS. As Kieran Read calls 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.