Hard Men of Rugby - Softcover

Upton, Luke

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1912631288 ISBN 13: 9781912631285

Publisher: Y Lolfa, 2020

Synopsis

The ultimate book about the hard men of Rugby Union. Written by journalist and author Luke Upton and with a foreword by Rugby World Cup Final ref Nigel Owens, this book includes the gruesome stories of the hardest and most ruthless, yet incredibly talented, players from around the world since the First World War. In our era of citing commissioners, super slow-motion replays and trial by social media, some of their actions are almost hard to believe. These men were totally committed to the sport, and irrespective of size, reputation or opposition, never took a step back on the pitch. And largely free from the confines of the commitments the modern professional game demands, many were as lively off the pitch as they were fiery on it.

Players profiled include: Brian Lima (Samoa, career 1990–2007), Wade Dooley (England, career c.1985–1993), David ‘Darkie’ Bedell-Sivright (Scotland, career 1900–1914), Colin Meads (New Zealand, career 1955–1973), Gerard Cholley (France, career 1965–c.1980), Jerry Collins (New Zealand, career 1999–2015), Wayne ‘Buck’ Shelford (New Zealand, career 1975–1993), Trevor Brennan (Ireland, career 1991–2007), Norm Hadley (Canada, career 1984–c.1996), Paddy Mayne (Ireland, career 1931–1939), Bobby Windsor (Wales, career 1973–79), Scott Gibbs (Wales, career 1990–2004), Bakkies Botha (South Africa, career 1999–2015), Tomás Lavanini (Argentina, career 2012–present), Sébastien Chabal (France, career 2000–2014), Weary Dunlop (Australia, career 1930s).

Table of Contents

Foreword by Nigel Owens
Introduction
Paddy Mayne
Brian Lima
Wayne Shelford
Bobby Windsor
Colin Meads
Jerry Collins
Norm Hadley
David Bedell-Sivright
Scott Gibbs
Gérard Cholley
Trevor Brennan
Wade Dooley
Bakkies Botha
Tomás Lavanini
Sébastien Chabal
Weary Dunlop
Bibliography
Acknowledgements

About this title

About the Author

Born and bred in south Wales, Luke Upton now works as a business journalist in London. He co-runs rugby humor account @NotGavHenson on Twitter, regularly amusing over 41,000 followers (including a large portion of the Wales rugby squad), and is the author of hilarious satirical rugby novel 'Absolutely Huge'.

Nigel Owens is an internationally respected Welsh rugby union referee, loved by fans and respected by players worldwide. When he retired in 2020, he was the world record holder for most Test matches refereed and he is one of only two Welsh referees ever to officiate at a Rugby World Cup Final. He has also presented TV shows, and in 2011 was appointed to Wales' prestigious Gorsedd of Bards. In 2007 he came out as gay, and is an icon in the LGBTQ+ community. Both the first volume of his autobiography, 'Half Time' (Y Lolfa, 2009) and the hardback version of this book are huge bestsellers.

Edition details

• Publisher: Y Lolfa
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1912631288
• ISBN 13: 9781912631285
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224