Hard Men of Rugby Kraków

The true stories behind 20 of the toughest players to ever play the game, from pre-WWI firebrands to modern-day YouTube sensations. They are shocking, gruesome, often very funny and sometimes tragic, but what unites these men is their total commitment to the sport. Irrespective of size, reputation or opposition, they never took a step back, and many were as lively off the pitch as they were fiery on it. In our era of citing commissioners, slow-motion replays and trial by social media, some of their actions are hard to believe. Featuring exclusive interviews with some of the players themselves, insights from former teammates and a foreword from refereeing legend Nigel Owens, if you love the characters that make rugby great, then this is the book for you.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 Jacques Burger Armand Vaquerin Martin Johnson Brian Thomas Sébastien Chabal Weary Dunlop Author acknowledgements Bibliography Notes'It was safer and certainly more fun to read about the Hard Men of Rugby than to play against them! It's like having a few laughs over beers with them in the bar post-match, rather than what would have taken place on the pitch!' - Al Charron, Former Canada Captain & World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee'I couldn't put the book down. It was great to learn more about some of the hardest men in rugby folklore. And I had the misfortune to play against some of these legends!' - Bernard Jackman, Former Ireland & Leinster player, coach and commentator'A cracking read, with some great stories about some guys I played with and against. Plus many more I am relieved I never had to face.' - Lee Byrne, Former Wales & Lions player and pundit'I laughed, winced and even found myself moved by this lively and fun rundown of rugby hardmen.'- Ben Mercer, Former rugby polayer & author of best-selling 'Fringes: Life on the edge of professional rugby"Fresh, entertaining, well-researched and full of really fun nuggets.' - Robbie Owen / Squidge, Youtuber, podcaster & writer