100 Irish Rugby Greats

100 Irish Rugby Greats

Author: John Scally

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2011-08-04

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1780571429

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Bursting with humour and full of amusing anecdotes, 100 Irish Rugby Greats is a unique celebration of the most significant stars of the sport from the 1930s to the present day. A veritable who’s who of Irish rugby, it takes in all of the true greats, including Jack Kyle, Tony O’Reilly, Mike Gibson, Willie John McBride, Moss Keane, Keith Wood, Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell. Many of the in-depth and revealing profiles are based on interviews with the legends themselves, as well as with those who have lined up against them. The result offers remarkable insights into the myriad controversies, epic matches, thrilling contests and pivotal events on and off the field in which each player has been involved. Written with an insider’s knowledge, 100 Irish Rugby Greats will prove to be a thrilling read for all fans of the sport.


Rugby's Greatest Characters

Rugby's Greatest Characters

Author: John Griffiths

Publisher: Aurum Press Limited

Published: 2014-07-10

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 1781314004

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There’ s an old joke about rugby players and oddballs. However, there certainly have been quite a few of them playing rugby in the history of the game. And not just oddballs, there’ s been pitbulls, quiet men, iron men, and unsung heroes. And you can meet them all in this quirky collection of the famous and infamous of the game. Characters include Wilfred Wooller, who, playing in the ‘ 30s, was described as a ‘ juggernaut, leaving a trail of prostrate figures in his wake.’ Then there was Gordon Brown (not the PM), known as ‘ Broonie’ but also as the baby-faced assassin when he first entered the Scottish team in 1696. Right up to Sir Clive Woodward who transformed the England side from amateur to professional – a man who knew his own mind, but didn’ t seem to sure about anyone else’ s. Using extensive research author John Griffiths wins bonus points for a funny, fascinating, remarkable collection of the good, the bad and the ugly, of the scrums, forwards, fly halfs, flankers and dummy passers. A great gift book for all rugby fans. John Griffiths is the author of six books on rugby and for many years co-edited Rothmans Rugby Yearbook and the IRB's Rugby Yearbook.


100 Great Scottish Rugby Moments

100 Great Scottish Rugby Moments

Author: Stewart Weir

Publisher: Black & White Publishing Ltd

Published: 2019-08-15

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 178530285X

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Here are Scottish rugby's most legendary, celebratory and brilliant moments from the last 50 years. 100 Great Scottish Rugby Moments is a unique celebration of the sport’s most significant moments. Including: • Andy Irvine's kick to beat England in 1974 • The 1984 Grand Slam • David Sole, Tony Stanger and the 1990 Grand Slam • Toony, Paris and that pass • The great Bill McLaren’s final commentary• Doddie Weir's Big Entry • The 2019 Calcutta Cup – a match like no other . . . These epic moments feature exclusive interviews with Gregor Townsend, Jim Telfer, Ian Robertson, Ian McLauchlan, Andy Irvine, Alan Lawson, Iain Milne, Jim Calder, John Rutherford, Finlay Calder, Craig Chalmers, David Sole, Tony Stanger, Scott Hastings, Gavin Hastings, Doddie Weir, Rob Wainwright, Gary Armstrong, Kenny Logan, Bryan Redpath, Chris Paterson, Al Kellock, Sean Maitland and many others. Enjoy a host of brilliant anecdotes and remarkable insights into the controversies, epic matches, thrilling contests and pivotal events on and off the field which shaped these 100 GREAT SCOTTISH RUGBY MOMENTS. "All the key moments from the last 50 years of Scottish rugby are captured . . . 100 Great Scottish Rugby Moments will definitely bring back some truly great memories for you." GARY ARMSTRONG OBE


Memoirs of a Rugby-Playing Man

Memoirs of a Rugby-Playing Man

Author: Jay Atkinson

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 2012-04-24

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1429990619

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If all sports are really about war, then rugby is a heart-thumping epic of bayonet charges and hand-to-hand fighting. In Memoirs of a Rugby-Playing Man, bestselling author Jay Atkinson describes his thirty-five year odyssey in the sport-from his rough and rowdy days at the University of Florida, through the intrigue of various foreign tours, club championships, and all star selections, up to his current stint with the freewheeling Vandals Rugby Club out of Los Angeles. Jay has played in more than 500 matches, for which he's suffered three broken ribs, a detached retina, a fractured cheekbone and orbital bone, four deadened teeth, and a dislocated ankle. Written in the style of Siegried Sassoon's Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man, Atkinson's book explains why it was all worth it--the sum total of his violent adventures, and the valuable insights he has gained from them.


Rugby Characters

Rugby Characters

Author: John Ireland

Publisher: Arrow

Published: 1990

Total Pages: 92

ISBN-13: 9780091745844

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In this collection, the authors have selected some of the great characters from the Five Nations Championships of recent years - from the successful Tony O'Reilly of Ireland to Gareth Chilcott from the West Country. The Welsh heroes of the Seventies are well represented through the likes of Gareth Edwards, JPR and Barry John. Coach Ian McGeechan and captain David Sole celebrate Scotland's victory at Murrayfield to take the 1990 Grand Slam.


Beware of the Dog

Beware of the Dog

Author: Brian Moore

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2011-01-06

Total Pages: 437

ISBN-13: 184983489X

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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 a deserved winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year prize.


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.