Chasing a Rugby Dream
Chasing a Rugby Dream

Author: James Hook

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Published: 2020-10-01

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 0957507682

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Winner of the Telegraph Sports Book Awards Children's Book of the Year Small, skinny and short-sighted . . . and dazzlingly talented. Jimmy Joseph loves rugby. All he dreams about is one day playing for his country in a World Cup, or winning a Test series for the Lions with a last-minute drop-goal. But when he kicks an up-and-under in the schoolyard and accidentally hits the new head of PE, Mr Kane, on the head, he makes a powerful enemy. Jimmy and his best friends – Manu, Scott and Kitty – try to prove their worth on the rugby field, but to no avail. Mr Kane has it out for them, and he's being helped by team captain Mike Green, well known as the school bully. Can Jimmy and his friends overcome the tyranny of Mr Kane and help Mike see the error of his ways? Or will the combination of bullying, pressure and dirty tactics derail the friends' rugby careers before they have even begun? An epic new rugby series begins here!

Chasing a Rugby Dream
Chasing a Rugby Dream

Author: James Hook

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Published: 2021-10-14

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1913538265

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'A portrayal of a young person following their dream in the game, a cracking read' – Alun Wyn Jones, Wales and the British & Irish Lions Jimmy Joseph is enjoying a long, hot summer with his friends, counting down the days until he attends his first ever training camp at the Eagles Academy, the youth section of his local pro club. He hopes this is going to be the first major step on his journey to being a professional rugby player ... but a heavy tackle in training and cruel behaviour from his nemesis, Mr Kane, leads to Jimmy suffering a complete loss of confidence. How can he ever regain his love of the game – and fulfil his rugby dreams – if he is too afraid to tackle? In this new rugby adventure for Jimmy and his friends, James Hook and David Brayley examine concussion, tackling, friendship, loyalty and the true bravery that's needed to overcome your fears.

Rugby Has F***ing Laws, Not Rules
Rugby Has F***ing Laws, Not Rules

Author: Paul Williams

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Published: 2021-11-04

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 1913538672

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The laws of rugby are as extensive as they are confusing, their nuances and interpretations argued over relentlessly by rugby fans around the world and virtually impenetrable to those who are new to the game. In an effort to provide some much-needed clarity, Paul Williams takes an irreverent, hilarious, p*ss-taking tour through the labyrinth that is rugby's rule book – or, for the pedantic, rugby's law book. Hilarious, off-beat and (surprisingly) insightful, this is the perfect gift for rugby fans all around the world.

Championship Sunday
Championship Sunday

Author: Joe Jackson

Publisher: LifeWord Publishing LLC

Published: 2021-11-02

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 1736391135

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From his earliest memories, Joe Jackson dreamed of playing in the National Football League and being somebody great—a champion. But growing up in a family of seven in a Cincinnati suburb during the turbulent times of the 1960s didn’t look promising. It took hard work, discipline, and good coaching to become a champion in the world’s eyes in the NFL. But the most significant change didn’t take place on a football field, but in his heart when he gave his life to Jesus Christ. Only then did his dream of playing in the NFL and the Super Bowl become a reality. In the pages of this fascinating biographical account, Joe Jackson recounts how he tackled challenge after challenge in life, and reveals how football opened the door to a place where the giants of fear and a low sense of self-esteem roamed freely. In Championship Sunday, Joe shares an uncut version of his life story and reveals that true champions are never satisfied with titles won on a particular day, but it’s the battles we win as a believer that matter the most as we walk out our own salvation with fear and trembling. His story encourages everyone to push past their fear and insecurity to become the champion that is hidden inside.

When Lions Roared
When Lions Roared

Author: Tom English

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Published: 2017-05-11

Total Pages: 349

ISBN-13: 0857903438

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By 1971 no Lions team had ever defeated the All Blacks in a Test series. Since 1904, six Lions sides had travelled to New Zealand and all had returned home bruised, battered and beaten. But the 1971 tour party was different. It was full of young, ambitious and outrageously talented players who would all go on to carve their names into the annals of sporting history during a golden period in British and Irish rugby. And at their centre was Carwyn Jones – an intelligent, sensitive rugby mastermind who would lead his team into the game's hardest playing arena while facing a ferocious, tragic battle in his personal life, all in pursuit of a seemingly impossible dream. Up against them was an All Blacks team filled with legends in the game in the likes of Colin Meads, Brian Lochore, Ian Kirkpatrick, Sid Going and Bryan Williams. But as the Lions swept through the provinces, lighting up the rugby fields of New Zealand the pressure began to mount on the home players in a manner never seen before. As the Test series loomed, it became clear that a clash that would echo through the ages was about to unfold. And at its conclusion, it was obvious to all that rugby would never be the same again.

Running to Glory
Running to Glory

Author: Sam McManis

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2019-07-26

Total Pages: 279

ISBN-13: 1493041533

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The runners from Eisenhower High School have every justification to fail. They’re from low income families, many of whom are migrant workers. With little time to devote to their passion, they give everything they have to their quest for the Washington State High School Cross Country Championship. Running to Glory is a celebration of grit, perseverance, and the American Dream. It follows the cross country team from Eisenhower High in Yakima, Washington, through a tumultuous and challenging season with excitement, suspense and pathos. Despite enormous economic disadvantages, the Eisenhower runners compete with affluent schools in the Seattle-Tacoma area, where parent involvement is strong and funds are readily available. Their coach Phil English knows how his runners feel. He grew up poor in rural Ireland in the 1960s during The Troubles and emigrated to the U.S. for a college track scholarship. Over 37 years coaching in Yakima, Coach English won 11 state titles, and sent more than 100 kids to college with scholarships for running. Author Sam McManis crafts a compelling narrative, which follows the team from summer workouts in the blistering sun to the state championship meet in the bitter cold. Readers will discover how these young men and women overcome their environment or succumb to it—on the course and in the classroom.

Behind The Lions
Behind The Lions

Author: Stephen Jones

Publisher: Birlinn

Published: 2021-03-04

Total Pages: 704

ISBN-13: 0857905295

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For over 130 years the British & Irish Lions have stood out as a symbol of the ethics, values and romance at the heart of rugby union. To represent the Lions is the pinnacle for every international player in Britain and Ireland, and the dream of tens of thousands of avid fans who fol-low them. A Lions tour, undertaken every four years to the southern hemisphere, is more than a series of rugby matches played out on foreign fields; it is an epic crusade where the chosen few face a succession of mental and physical chal-lenges on their way to the Test arena, where they do battle with the superpowers of the world game. Behind the Lions sees seven esteemed rugby writers delve to the very heart of what it means to be a Lion, using diaries and letters from those who pioneered the concept, to interviews with a vast array of players who have followed in their footsteps. In so doing they have uncovered the passion, pride and honour experienced when taking up the unique challenge of a Lions tour. This is a tale of heart-break and ecstasy, humour and poignancy that is at once inspirational, moving and utterly compelling. And it is the only story worth hearing: the players' own.

Exe Men
Exe Men

Author: Rob Kitson

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Published: 2020-11-26

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 1913538028

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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.

Rugby Spirit
Rugby Spirit

Author: Gerard Siggins

Publisher: The O'Brien Press

Published: 2012-08-29

Total Pages: 129

ISBN-13: 1847174035

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'Ok, lads, you have everything you need to win this game. So go out and do it ,' said the coach. Eoin's not sure if it will be so easy! He's just started a new school ... and a new sport. Everyone at school is mad about rugby, but Eoin hasn't even held a rugby ball before! With new rules to learn, new friends to make and new teachers to get a handle on, he really doesn't need to have Richie Duffy, the resident bully, picking him out as his latest target! And just who is this guy, Brian, who looks so out-of-date, but gives great rugby advice?