Behind The Lions: Playing Rugby for the British & Irish Lions - Couverture rigide

For 125 years the British & Irish Lions have stood out as a unique emblem in world sport. They represent the best of the best from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, coming together every four years under a united badge to take on the rugby greats of the southern hemisphere. Lions tours are steeped in history and tradition yet maintain a vibrant standing in the modern era. The Lions badge is a symbol of the ethics, values and the romance at the heart of Test match rugby union and represents the pinnacle for every international player in Britain and Ireland. As the Lions party departs the shores of Britain and Ireland, a great red wave of support follows them as thousands of fans make a rugby pilgrimage to see their heroes do battle with the superpowers of the world game... and with the weight of history itself. Behind the Lions sees four esteemed rugby writers from each of the Home Nations delve to the very heart of what it means to be a Lion, interviewing a vast array of former tourists to uncover the passion, pride and honour experienced when wearing the famous red jersey. It 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. This is the history of the British & Irish Lions... in their own words.

Stephen Jones is the award-winning rugby correspondent of The Sunday Times and a former UK sports journalist of the year. He is the author of several books on the sport, including Lion Man: The Autobiography of Ian McGeechan, Midnight Rugby: Triumph and Shambles in the Professional Era, and Endless Winter: The Inside Story of the Rugby Revolution, which was the winner of the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. Tom English is the award-winning chief sports writer for Scotland on Sunday and has been voted Scottish Sport Feature Writer of the Year five times. He is a former Irish rugby correspondent for The Sunday Times. He won Rugby Book of the Year at the 2010 British Sports Book Awards for The Grudge, his study of the 1990 Grand Slam decider between Scotland and England. 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. David Barnes is a freelance journalist, covering rugby for various newspapers. He is the co-author of Jim Renwick s autobiography, Centre of Excellence, and of Behind the Thistle: Playing Rugby for Scotland, published in 2010.