Rugby Skills, Tactics and Rules : The New Zealand Way - Softcover

Tony; Hunter Williams; Gordon Hunter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0717130797 ISBN 13: 9780717130795

Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd, 2000

Synopsis

This book teaches the basics of rugby the New Zealand way. Illustrated throughout with action photographs, most of them taken during the 1999 World Cup, the text is written by experts with experience at international level and senior provincial level, both as players and coaches. New Zealand has been the most consistently successful nation in the history of Rugby Union. Its mixture of hard, unrelenting forward skills allied to awesome running rugby has made the All Blacks the team to beat year in, year out and the value of New Zealand coaches is recognized worldwide. Graham Henry has transformed Wales, Alex Wylie brought Argentina to the quarter finals of the 1999 World Cup and former All Black star Zinzan Brooke coaches Harlequins. A 32-page section deals with the basic rules of the game.

About this title

About the Author:

Tony Williams is a New Zealand-based author who has written over 20 books, 13 of them on rugby, including a series of All Black biographies and '100 Great Moments of New Zealand Rugby'. Gordon Hunter is one of the world's leading rugby coaches. He was a New Zealand All Black selector from 1996-1999 and assistant coach of the All Blacks from 1996-1997

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Introduction

THE GAME FOR ALL

Pictured on the cover of this book is one of the most exciting rugby players in the world -- All Black Dan Carter. When Dan was a boy his parents got fed up with him kicking the rugby ball on to their roof, so they built him a set of rugby posts at the bottom of the yard, and there he would practice hour after hour.

As talented as Dan Carter is, it is learning the techniques and practicing them over and over that made him a skilled rugby player. (A technique is simply a way of doing something that works.) How these techniques are put to use in a team situation is called tactics. But that's not enough: you also have to know the laws. Rugby is a simple game, but the laws can be complex. The key to success and enjoyment in rugby is to master the skills, know the laws and use the best tactics for the situation.

Rugby Skills, Tactics and Rules simplifies the game so that a child of about 10 can understand it, but it also offers a broader knowledge for more experienced players and coaches. It begins with an explanation of the individual skills -- from the most basic through to the specialized -- followed by unit and team skills, moves and strategies, each layered one on top of the other. Toward the back of the book is a plain-language guide to the rules of rugby and a glossary, so that rugby terms can be clearly understood. Every time you struggle to understand, make a long kick to the glossary and clear up the meaning of that unfamiliar rugby term!

Read this book, reread it, watch, learn and practice. Rugby is the game with the most rules because it actually has the most freedoms. It allows you to express yourself in so many ways, such as kicking and passing the ball, tackling, pushing, pulling and getting muddy. Unlike most sports, you can use every part of your body, and there is no feeling in the world like running with the ball in open space, the opposition chasing after you, the goal line getting closer and closer.

Rugby Skills, Tactics and Rules gives you the basis of how to play rugby. After that it is up to players and coaches to be innovative and come up with new tricks and moves and, above all, to have fun!

About this edition

• Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0717130797
• ISBN 13: 9780717130795
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 165