Behind the Lions: Playing Rugby for the British & Irish Lions

by Stephen Jones, Nick Cain, Tom English, David Barnes, Peter Burns

Overview

For 125 years the British & Irish Lions have stood out as a peerless emblem in world sport. This unique account of the best from the four Home Nations examines every tour in the Lions’ history, including the victorious 2013 tour to Hong Kong and Australia, told in the players’ words.

Behind the Lions sees rugby writers from across the Home Nations delve to the heart of what it means to be a Lion, interviewing a vast array of former and current players to uncover the passion, pride and exhilaration experienced when wearing the famous red jersey. It is a tale of heartbreak and ecstasy, humour and poignancy that is at once inspirational, moving and utterly compelling. This is the story of the British & Irish Lions in their own words.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781913538170
Publisher:	Birlinn, Limited
Publication date:	05/04/2021
Edition description:	New in Paperback
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x (d)

About the Author

Stephen Jones is a multi award-winning The Sunday Times rugby correspondent and world-renowned rugby expert. He is the author of several books on the sport, including Endless Winter: Inside Story of the Rugby Revolution which won the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. Nick Cain is a rugby columnist for The Sunday Times and chief writer for The Rugby Paper. He edited Rugby World magazine for nine years, and is the co-author of The Lions Diary with Jeremy Guscott and Rugby Union for Dummies.

Tom English is an award-winning BBC Sport writer and broadcaster. He won Rugby Book of the Year at the 2011 British Sports Book Awards for The Grudge, before claiming the prize again in 2016 for No Borders: Playing Rugby for Ireland. He is a co-author of the best-selling Behind the Lions: Playing Rugby for the British & Irish Lions.

David Barnes is a freelance journalist who specialises in rugby. Having been forced to retire from the game because of a knee injury he has covered club, pro-team and international rugby for Scotland on Sunday, The Sunday Herald, Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

Peter Burns is the editor for Arena Sport and author of Behind the Thistle: Playing Rugby for Scotland, Behind the Ryder Cup: The Players’ Stories, White Gold: England’s Journey to World Cup Glory and, like Tom, is also a co-author of Behind the Lions: Playing Rugby for the British & Irish Lions.

Table of Contents

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 follow them. A Lion 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 of mental and physical challenges on their way to the Testy arena, where they do battle with the superpowers of the world game. Behind the Lions sees seven esteemed rugby writers delve to the very heart of what it means to be a Lion, using diaries and letters from those who pioneered the concept, to interviews with a vast array of players who have followed in their footsteps. In so doing they have uncovered the passion, pride and honour experienced when taking up the unique challenge of a Lion tour. This is a tale of heart-break and ecstasy, humour and poignancy that is at once inspirational, moving and utterly compelling. And it is the only story worth hearing: the players' own.

Introduction: Crusaders ix

1 1888-1904: Pathfinders 1

2 1908-1938: The Culture Clash 11

3 1950: The Flying Lion 23

4 1955: Lords of Africa 42

5 1959: Kings of Rugby 59

6 1962: Declining Fortunes 77

7 1966: Land of the Long Dark Cloud 90

8 1968: Learning the Lessons 107

9 1971: The History Boys 120

10 1974: The Invincibles 143

11 1977: History In Reverse 179

12 1980: External Pressures Apply 195

13 1983: Months of Melancholy 214

14 1989: The Comeback Kings 233

15 1993: The Twilight of the Amateur 257

16 1997: Glory Days 278

17 2001: The Nearly Men 307

18 2005: Blackout 334

19 2009: Old School Values 353

20 2013: Warburton's Warriors 385

21 2017: Sharing the Spoils 424

Bibliography and Sources 468

Editorial Reviews

A fascinating collection of insights.” —Sunday Times

From the Publisher

utterly compelling

Planet Rugby

comfortably the most interesting and entertaining history of the Lions

Irish Times