When Wales beat France to clinch the 2012 Six Nations Championship Grand Slam – one player stood out from the rest of the field.A powerful presence on the pitch, Dan Lydiate, the 6ft 4in fearless farmer’s son from Llandrindod Wells truly deserved the title Player of the Tournament.In Grand Slam Man, the heroic Welsh flanker reflects on his comeback from a broken neck in 2008 to become the hero of Wales’s 2012 Grand Slam success. He also reveals his thoughts on the Australia...

When Lions and Wales rugby star Richard Hibbard crashed into George Smith under a clear night sky in Australia, it felt as though the tremors might have rocked Sydney Harbour Bridge.Smith was the ‘Mr Indestructible’ of Australian rugby, yet he was helped off the pitch. Hooker Hibbard simply shook his trademark blond locks and carried on helping the Lions earn their 2013 series victory. Soon, pictures of "Hibbz" celebrating in the dressing room with James Bond actor Daniel Craig wer...

Scott Quinnell's book is called The Hardest Test. It is the story of how he became a successful rugby player, in spite of having to fight against learning difficulties at school. When he retired in 2005 he continued his battle with dyslexia in order to change both his and his children's lives for ever.Rugby player Scott Quinnell played for the Llanelli Scarlets and played for his country, Wales, fifty-two times. He was also a British lion. He reached the very top of his sport befor...

In this exclusive ebook-only edition, Phil Tufnell, aka 'Tuffers', the Sunday Times bestselling author of Tuffers' Cricket Tales, shares a selection of the most outrageous and hilarious cricket stories he has received from his Twitter followers.

Lewis 'Mad Dog' Moody has been a familiar face in English rugby for fifteen successful and, at times, painful years. The former Leicester and now Bath flanker has seen and done it all in a sport that has changed beyond recognition from his first forays into the sport to the huge spectacle that rugby, and especially test match rugby, has become.Known for his near-suicidal fashion of playing the game, Moody has achieved as much as anyone in the history of the sport, from league, cup ...

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 ...

From a pint and a pie to ice baths and deep tissue massages … from Cornish Colts to World Cup final captain … from qualified cattle inseminator to owner of a sports fashion label … Phil Vickery, aka "Raging Bull", has pretty such seen and done it all in life and in rugby, straddling the amateur and professional eras like a bovine colossus.Raging Bull is the iconic tight-head prop's own incredible story, the tale of a true legend of rugby union; a tough, no-nonsense player who is as...

Piri Weepu’s story is one of the most fascinating New Zealand rugby stories ever told. Born into a strong rugby league family — Piri’s brother Billy actually played for the Kiwis — Piri has risen to the very pinnacle of rugby union, while at the same time never losing his great love of the 13-man code. At 28, and in the year of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, Weepu was finally given his opportunity . . . . and didn’t he take it well. For years he had been in the shadows of Jimmy Cowan ...

Josh Lewsey is a household name in English rugby. He has been a Rugby 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 hig...

In his prime Mike Tyson was the most dominant fighter the sport of boxing had ever seen. At twenty he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history after winning his first nineteen fights by knockout, half of them inside the first round.This biography covers Tyson's life and professional career, beginning with his criminal childhood, through to his amateur career, his meteoric rise to heavyweight champion, his shock fall from grace and eventual retirement from boxing in 2005....

NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING DAME MAGGIE SMITH'The first book that ever made me laugh out loud' Adam Kay'Utter genius' Daily MailIn 1974, the homeless Miss Shepherd moved her broken down van into Alan Bennett's garden. Deeply eccentric and stubborn to her bones, Miss Shepherd was not an easy tenant. And Bennett, despite inviting her in the first place, was a reluctant landlord. And yet she lived there for fifte...

"Heroines of French Society" by Mrs. Bearne is a captivating exploration of the influential women who shaped French culture and society. Through vivid storytelling, Bearne brings to life the remarkable achievements and struggles of these heroines, highlighting their roles in various spheres such as politics, art, and social reform. The book serves as both a tribute and a historical account, showcasing how these women navigated the complexities of their time while leaving a lasting impact o...