Sport > Rugby

This book examines many aspects of rugby in New Zealand since about 1854, showing how rugby and identity have been bundles together for over a century, with both nation and game endowed with qualities of egalitarianism, innovation and rural pragmatism that have beeen promoted on the world stage. It tackles some of the very real myths surrounding this image of the game, disentangling assumptions from historical fact and coming up with some interesting angles on rugby's past.

For most rugby followers, the 1905 All Black tour of Britain has assumed legendary proportions. The Contest For Rugby Supremacy provides a new and critical perspective on the events and personalities of the tour. It examines key themes in the formative years of New Zealand rugby that both shaped the success of the All Blacks and produced frequent controversy around them: explores significant political and sporting debates during the course of the tour; reassesses the achievements of the team within a British sporting world in which... read more

Dop 2008, Australia softcover Comprehensive information on the 11 years of of Super 12 and Super 14 rugby, and includes colour images covering the history of the competition from 1996 to 2006.

A miscellany of rugby trivia for the footy equivalent of trainspotters (and let’s face it, there are thousands and thousands of them). Ranging from the weird to the drop-dead serious, the lists include: ACC’s top rugby injuries, animals on the field, best rugby grounds 2nd or 3rd div, best-ever NZ fifteen, biggest gates, black days – eg 1981, broken limbs that changed the course of history, cases of rugby prowess used as criminal defence, famous and infamous yellow and red cards, most common medical operations for rugby players, fa... read more

The Rugby Almanack is New Zealand rugby's book of record and is widely regarded as the finest publication of its type in the world. Now in its 76th edition, the 2010 Rugby Almanack records another huge year, including the Air New Zealand Cup and Super 14 competitions, the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri-Nations competition. As well, the Almanack again presents all the facts and figures from the previous season's first-class rugby. B-format paperback 464pp h210mm x w138mm x s27mm photographs First published April 2010.

Renowned All Blacks hard man Jerry Collins presents a diary-style preview to the 2007 World Cup. The diary will cover the phenomenally successful 2005 All Blacks season and the 2006 season, leading into World Cup in France at the end of 2007. Collins is one of the most popular All Blacks in the current side. His fearsome tackling and relentless "go-forward" have made him the most physically dominant All Black of recent times. Despite his no-nonsense on-field persona, Collins is a jovial and, at times, hilarious character off the fi... read more

It is 28 years since Men in Black was first published and while a lot has changed in rugby in that time, the purpose of the book has not: to provide a record, both in narrative and statistical form, of every test played by the All Blacks. Last published in 2000, Men in Black is the definitive record of All Black test rugby since 1903, when New Zealand played its first full-scale international against Australia in Sydney. Compiled by three of New Zealand's most respected rugby historians and writers, this the new edition is by far o... read more

For the first time, the origins of the game and its place in our early history has been researched and written by Alan Turley. The fascinating story begins with William Webb Ellis at Rugby School, covers the evolution of the rules and the game itself, and goes on to describe how the game first came to be played in New Zealand. Forwords by John Graham and Sir Brian Lochore.

Murray Deaker,friend and colleague of Graham Henry, analyses the man the team and the moment. Henry's job description would have been simple, when he replaced John Mitchell as the All Blacks Coach - win the 2007 Rugby World Cup!. In Wales he was 'The Redeemer'and the 2007 World Cup demanded more. We needed him to be the Messiah. He was given everything he asked for - so what went wrong?

Kiwis used to define ourselves as either League or Union supporters - never both. Not any more. In the rarified world of professional sport, the divisions between two traditional rival codes have been blown away. Top players have switched in the past - acrimoniously and mostly from 'amateur' Union to 'professional' league. Now the traffic is constant, both ways and highly lucrative. In a revealing look at the loyalties, the lure of the big dollar and the life-changing experiences of top flight players have changed allegiance, Bob H... read more

In 1905 the Originals, the first All Black rugby team set out on a world tour, playing 34 matches, 31 in the UK, 1 in France and 2 in California. A unique record of their tour was kept by one of the selectors - a scrapbook of memorabilia - which has everything from menu cards for official dinners to the accounts for each game, tickets and programmes and newspaper clippings with game reports and scores for each game, messages sent to and from New Zealand and other fascinating items that will provide a unique record of the era and t... read more

Once, rugby was something that was played mainly on converted paddocks and multi-purpose fields. The only players who got to travel were those who made the All Blacks, and great as that experience was, it was also likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. Today, professionalism has meant that players have opportunities beyond the dreams of

Rugby union has undergone immense change in the past two decades - introducing a World Cup, accepting professionalism and creating a global market in players - yet no authoritative English-language general history of the game has been published in that time. Until now. "A Game for Hooligans" brings the game's colourful story up to date to include the 2007 World Cup. It covers all of the great matches, teams and players but also explores the social, political and economic changes that have affected the course of rugby's development.... read more

"Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Rugby But Were too Afraid to Ask" explains the often-baffling laws of modern sport in a light-hearted and easy-to-understand way to the new fan/spectator or the 'sport widow'. This is a witty, off-the-wall guide to the rules of the modern game, as if written by a very patient but understanding friend. Writer Iain Macintosh explains how rugby works and why is it so popular, and reveals the history of the sport. He guides the novice through the basic rules of the game in a bouncy, easy-to-fat... read more

THE PASSION The Story behind 125 years of Canterbury Rugby is much more than a history of Canterbury rugby. Award winning journalist Phil Gifford goes behind the statistics to reveal the men, and the stories, that make football in the red and black jersey so special. Heroes, comedians, visionaries, battlers, intellectuals and fans all get their full due on a book that lets the reader live and breathe the emotions that continue to make Canterbury rugby great.

In How to Watch a Game of Rugby, Zavos shares his love and knowledge of the sport with wit and warmth, and passes on some illuminating pointers. Anyone who has ever wondered what the difference is between a ruck and a maul, or a fly half and a fullback, will find this book illuminating. But if you already know the answers - and believe, like the author, that 'the good watcher of rugby is the one who is passionate about the game' - prepare to be indulged.

Josh Lewsey is a household name in English rugby. He has been a World Cup winner, part of the prestigious British Lions squad and a crucial member of the Wasps team, one of the most successful UK premiership rugby sides of the last 10 years. Not content with just being a rugby player, his life off the pitch has been equally impressive. He is a graduate in both Law and Physiology, a former Army Officer and an avid adventurer. This fascinating and humorous autobiography follows the highs and the lows that inevitably come from being a... read more

Know The Game: Rugby Union is designed to help the reader get more out of their chosen sport. It is suitable for the active participant and the passive enthusiast. The book is packed with information, photographs and illustrations to explain the core skills, tactics and rules of the game. It is written and endorsed by the appropriate governing bodies, clearly presented and easy-to-use and includes modified rules for young and developing players. full colour throughout explains core skills, drills and tactics lavishly illustrate... read more

Gourley applies his knowledge of industrial and sport psychology to coaching rugby and other team sports. He shows how the coach has the greatest influence on motivating the team and provides insight into developing attitudes, beliefs and values in players.

When it comes to rugby union, one team has always stood a lock forward taller than the rest. To their opponents of the 1920s they were 'the Invincibles', to generations of British and Irish players they were literally indomitables - to the rest of the world they're simply the All Blacks. So when Graham Mourie's team left New Zealand in 1978 for the northern hemisphere no one believed they could be beaten. And then they lost. Not to the Wales of J P R Williams or to a Barbarians' select XV, but to a ragged provincial team from the... read more