The Oval World
A Global History of Rugby
Published on 27. August 2015
Book
Hardback
560 pages
978-1-4088-4370-3 (ISBN)
Description
Rugby has always been a sport with as much drama off the field as on it. For every thrilling last-minute Jonny Wilkinson drop-goal to win the World Cup or Jonah Lomu rampage down the touchline for a try there has been a split, a feud, or a controversy.
The Oval World is the first full-length history of rugby on a world scale-from its origins in the village-based football games of medieval times to the globalized sport of the twenty-first century, now played over a hundred countries. It tells the story of how a game played in an obscure English public school became the winter sport of the British Empire, spreading to France, Argentina, Japan, and the rest of the world, and commanding a global television audience of over four billion for the last World Cup final. It also explores how American football-and other games, such as Australian, Canadian, and Gaelic football-emerged from their English cousin.
Featuring the great moments in the game's history and its legendary names-David Duckham, Serge Blanco, Billy Boston, and David Campese, alongside Rupert Brooke, King George V, Boris Karloff, Charles de Gaulle, and Nelson Mandela-The Oval World investigates just what it is about rugby that enables it to thrive in countries with very different traditions and cultures. This is the definitive world history of a truly global rugby.
The Oval World is the first full-length history of rugby on a world scale-from its origins in the village-based football games of medieval times to the globalized sport of the twenty-first century, now played over a hundred countries. It tells the story of how a game played in an obscure English public school became the winter sport of the British Empire, spreading to France, Argentina, Japan, and the rest of the world, and commanding a global television audience of over four billion for the last World Cup final. It also explores how American football-and other games, such as Australian, Canadian, and Gaelic football-emerged from their English cousin.
Featuring the great moments in the game's history and its legendary names-David Duckham, Serge Blanco, Billy Boston, and David Campese, alongside Rupert Brooke, King George V, Boris Karloff, Charles de Gaulle, and Nelson Mandela-The Oval World investigates just what it is about rugby that enables it to thrive in countries with very different traditions and cultures. This is the definitive world history of a truly global rugby.
Reviews / Votes
Collins narrates this history with magisterial skill, weaving in details of matches with the wider historical and social picture -- Mihir Bose * The Independent * It is truly the definitive work on the game by one of the great experts on the topic * Sportsology * Readable, exhaustive, grand in scope, carefully crafted, it's a mother lode of material in a book long overdue project * The Epoch Times * Perfect * Shortlist * Rugby does not have the literature it deserves, which makes Tony Collins's attempt to tell its story all the more noteworthy * The Times * Collins recounts the global sweep of the sport's history ... using original sources to cut through myth and hearsay, and revealing an instinct for telling anecdote and detail * The Guardian * Perfect * Choice Magazine * It is hard to imagine the subject has ever been covered in such loving detail before * Choice Magazine * Tony Collins has put together this first full-length history of rugby on a global scale and his colourful writing style ensures the book is neither sterile nor boring * Rugby World * Collins is absolutely brilliant in his recalling of rugby's history. * International Soccer Network * The Oval World is a must-have for anyone that is passionate about rugby or even those that are still learning about the sport. It's a great reference, perhaps the best title to ever be written about rugby. It's that good. Bloomsbury continues a tradition of excellent sporting titles, reaffirming why many believe that they are the best in the business. * International Soccer Network *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 153 mm
Weight
992 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4088-4370-3 (9781408843703)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
08/2015
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Sport
€14.49
Available for download
Person
Tony Collins is Professor of History in the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University. His previous books include Rugby's Great Split, Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain, and A Social History of English Rugby Union, each of which won the Aberdare prize for sports history book of the year. In 2009, his Social History of English Rugby Union was selected as a book of the year by the New Statesman, the Guardian and the Independent on Sunday. @collinstony