This is the epic story of South Africa’s amazing quests for the Rugby World Cup, which resulted in triumph at Ellis Park in 1995 and in Paris in 2007, while there was heartbreak in 1999 and shame in 2003. The Springboks and the Holy Grail is no mere narration of matches and scores. The author was closely involved in all four RWC campaigns while working for the Sunday Times and SuperSport, and he provides behind-the-scenes reportage on the great cast and incredible incidents that made for s...

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 ...

Throughout his tenure as the first black Springbok coach, Peter de Villiers was in the news, and not always for the right reasons. His battle to be accepted and respected by the rugby fraternity started from the moment his appointment was announced, when his new boss admitted that De Villiers had got the job for reasons ‘other than only rugby’. In his four years as Bok coach, De Villiers experienced huge successes – a series win over the British & Irish Lions and a Tri Nations trophy – but...

When Mark Boucher played one of his first games of cricket for South Africa, a senior player took him aside and bluntly told him he was the worst wicketkeeper ever to play in the national side. Over a decade later, when Bouch finally retired with a plethora of records under his belt and to huge acclaim from the public, he took grim satisfaction in relating this piece of history. Through my Eyes is the story of a man with remarkable sporting prowess. Born into a sports-mad family in East Lo...

Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood…Years later, a headmistress is found strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country. But when human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed.Detect...

Leonard’s story starts as rugby started – in the amateur days, when the Cockney Carpenter began playing for Barking and Saracens in the days before multi-million pound business owners and sponsorship deals. His big break came when he was invited to join the England squad for their tour to Argentina in 1990 and has been capped 100 times.It was a tour that precipitated one of the greatest periods in the history of the British game, and Leonard provides a compelling insight into life ...

If you get a big kick out of rugby but still feel you could sharpen up your knowledge of the game, Rugby Rules in a Day For Dummies is for you. Inside you'll find easy-to-understand advice on the basic rules of the game, pitch positions, and tactics. In less than a day, readers will find all they need to know to get understand the sport of rugby:Features an in-depth look at Laws that form the beautiful gameCovers all the reader will need to know about talki...

In his 15-year career as one of the most popular figures in Welsh rugby, Martyn Williams has played against some of the giants of the sport. Known as ‘Nugget’ to the fans, Martyn has captained his country on many occasions and was a key player in two Welsh Grand Slam-winning campaigns.In Rugby Rivals he picks his personal top ten players from all the world rugby stars he’s ever played against. From Martin Johnson and Shane Williams to Jonah Lomu and Richie McCaw he gives an insight...

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...

Who are the biggest 'lady killers' in rugby league past and present? Which international footballer was beaten up by teenage kids in Spain? What are the best 10 on-field sledges of all time?In Gordie's Tales, The Footy Show star and Queensland and Australian league legend Gorden Tallis tells these hilarious true stories and many more. Gorden takes you inside State of Origin teams, on Kangaroo tours, and along for the ride on hilarious end of season trips. Gordie g...

For the past ten years the Canterbury-Bankstown Rugby League Club (the Bulldogs) has reeled from one crisis to the next. Once known as the 'Family Club' and the 'Entertainers', the Bulldogs have since figured in many off-field dramas including rape allegations, executive reshuffles and rorting the salary cap.Three families have dominated the club in the past thirty years - The Moores - whose patriach was long-time club boss Peter 'Bullfrog' Moore who ran the club with an iron fist ...

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 thr...