The Complete Rugby Union Compendium

The 2015 Rugby World Cup in England is set to be the biggest, brightest and most successful tournament to date, as the world's top teams compete for the coveted Webb Ellis Cup and inspire new participants and fans worldwide across 44 days and 48 matches. With over three million tickets set to be sold for the matches, the Rugby World Cup will be viewed in over 207 territories worldwide.However, for all the fanfare of the third biggest sporting event in the world (after the Olympics and FIFA World Cup), it is astonishing that, until now, there has been no single reference book in the marketplace that contains all the rugby internationals, in chronological order, played by the world's major rugby nations since the game's inception. Keith Young has spent six years compiling such a compendium to fill this gap in the market and has undertaken a colossal amount of research in the process.The Complete Rugby Union Compendium contains over 5,200 entries, organized in such a way that details of all matches can beeasily accessed by the reader. It is laid out in a visually engaging and informative format and will be invaluable to every dedicated rugby enthusiast.

Using the collections of the British Library and the National Library of Wales, this work is a source of information on books and journals on Rugby Union from throughout the English-speaking world.

Scottish Rugby 101 is a compendium of fascinating facts, quotes, stats, stories, personalities and trivia – a perfect stocking-filler for all fans of Scottish rugby. From the very first Test match in 1871 all the way through to the present day, Scottish rugby's rich history is distilled into 101 facts, stats and stories. This fun-packed volume is an instructive, if sometimes irreverent – but always affectionate – guide to some of the ground-breaking firsts, controversies, innovations, achievements and disasters that have taken place in the game north of the Border – an entertaining crib-sheet to Scottish rugby for experts and novices alike.

A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 - SPORT 'A mesmerising, unforgettable journey around world rugby. ' Donald McRae – Twice Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 'Magnificent... hugely intelligent and entertaining.' Stuart Barnes, Sunday Times 'Really enjoyed it.' Will Carling 'An absolutely marvellous book... Recommended heartily.' Jonathan Drennan, Sydney Morning Herald CONTRASTING CHARACTERS, COLLIDING CULTURES, THE SAME OVAL-SHAPED BALL. A JOURNEY TO FIND THE RUGBY'S MOST REMARKABLE PEOPLE, TEAMS AND PLACES. What makes rugby special? Which individuals and teams have defined the modern game? Around the World in 80 Minutes charts the 'golden era' of global rugby union between 1973 and 2023 and goes in search of the sport's most influential trailblazers. Robert Kitson, the Guardian's long-time rugby union correspondent, assesses the game's current health, tracks down the battered gladiators of yesteryear and asks some pertinent questions. Does rugby retain its old rugged charm? What does its future look like? And what, ultimately, constitutes rugby 'greatness'? Observant, amusing and thought-provoking, the journey takes in some of the game's more prominent names – including David Campese, Brian O'Driscoll, Maggie Alphonsi, Sean Fitzpatrick, Eddie Jones and Sir Clive Woodward – to reflect on rugby's intangible shared joy. Millions of fans continue to find rugby maddeningly irresistible and endlessly compelling. This book is for them, and for anyone else wondering where the appeal lies.

A focused conditional program has become essential to on-field rugby success. Pook presents a comprehensive training approach that builds players' physical abilities as well as the rugby-specific skills their positions require.

In 1995 rugby union finally became a professional sport following more than a century as an amateur game. This book offers a critical analysis of the sport in the professional era and assesses the relationship between the local and the global in contemporary rugby union.