The Welsh Rugby Diaries

From the moment Graham Henry arrived from New Zealand in August 1998 to become Wales's first foreign coach until his resignation in February 2002, Trevor James was his right-hand man. James kept a daily diary which offers an intriguing and frequently controversial insight into the way Henry and his employers, the Welsh Rugby Union, operated. "The Welsh Rugby Diaries" gives readers a fly-on-the-wall view of what took place behind the scenes during an uplifting, contentious and ultimately harrowing period. James reveals how Henry, who took on the job two months after Wales had been thrashed by a record 96-13 in Pretoria by South Africa, turned things around so quickly that the team went on a ten-match winning run in 1999, their best for nearly 90 years. He was dubbed 'the Great Redeemer' by the WRU and, at the start of his reign, offered success-starved Welsh supporters the hope of a better tomorrow. Wales won in France for the first time since 1975, beat England at Wembley and defeated South Africa for the first time after 93 years of trying. But as these diary entries reveal, cracks began to appear almost immediately.
Henry had been employed by the WRU at a record GBP250,000 salary, which caused some resentment in the corridors of power, and intrigue abounded. Whereas previous Wales coaches were kept under the thumb by the Union's general committee, Henry opened closed doors and made the most of his unprecedented power. For the first time, the truth behind the 'Grannygate' scandal, which rocked rugby at the start of 2000 and propelled Wales onto the frontpages, is revealed. James provides a blow-by-blow account of the whole affair that saw Henry choose New Zealanders Shane Howarth and Brett Sinkinson, who turned out not to have an ounce of Welsh blood between them. James also lifts the lid on the sudden resignation of Wales's conditioning coach Steve Black, a man recruited by Henry just after the Grannygate saga. "The Welsh Rugby Diaries" also charts the decline of Henry following the unsuccessful 2001 Lions tour to Australia, which the New Zealander headed. By February 2002, Henry had had enough after a number of big defeats and James unveils the real reason behind the departure of the Great Redeemer.