See the sport from different angles with the the best rugby books available to buy right now
Who said talking a good game was a bad thing? The best rugby books offer different perspectives on the sport, frequently telling the stories that take place outside the regular 80 minutes.
So if you’re looking for big name autobiographies from players, coaches and even referees, or want to learn about the unique sporting cultures of top rugby nations, these 15 books will make worthy additions to any fan’s library – whether you’re buying for yourself or that special rugby-mad person in your life.
Besides, it’s dark, cold and wet outside, so there’s never going to be a better time to curl up with one of our best rugby books.
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The Best Rugby Books You Can Read
LOOSE HEAD by Joe Marler
There’s no shortage of rugby player memoirs out there – George North, Conor Murray, Andrew Porter and Eben Etzebeth have all released new autobiographies this year – but only one focuses on a man whose unlikely sleuthing skills turned him into the breakout star of Celebrity Traitors. Subtitled Confessions of an (Un)professional Rugby Player, Marler’s book takes a characteristically idiosyncratic look at the game.
CALON by Owen Sheers
When award-winning poet and author Owen Sheers was appointed writer-in-residence at the WRU, he spent a year exploring what makes Welsh rugby tick. Calon (Welsh for “heart”) offers phenomenal access to the stars of the Grand Slam-winning 2012 team, but it’s also a powerful celebration of the national side’s connection with its people. For Welsh fans, it’s a welcome opportunity to get nostalgic for better times.
BEHIND THE ROSE by Stephen Jones and Nick Cain
What’s it like to play for England? Nobody knows better than the players, and this in-depth oral history assembles an impressive squad of stars from across the eras to recall their experiences in the famous white shirt. Not an England fan? The “Behind the Jersey” series also features books on Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Wales and the British & Irish Lions.
THROWING THE BOOK by Wayne Barnes
By the time Wayne Barnes hung up his whistle at the end of the 2023 World Cup, he was one of the most recognisable faces in the game. The English referee had long established himself as one of the best ever, and his memoir is every bit as thoughtful as you’d expect from an official who lived a double life as a barrister. Beyond the reminiscing, he’s also refreshingly outspoken about the lawmakers at World Rugby.
THIS IS YOUR EVEREST by Tom English and Peter Burns
With the possible exception of the 1971 team that returned victorious from New Zealand, no British & Irish Lions team has connected with the public like the South African tourists of 1997. Named for a line in coach Jim Telfer’s now-legendary team talk, this book looks back at the exploits of a squad that defied the odds to overcome the world champions in their own backyard. The ideal companion piece to Living with Lions, one of the best British & Irish Lions documentaries.
NOBODY BEATS US by David Tossell
You don’t have to be Welsh – or even be old enough to have seen them strutting their stuff at Cardiff Arms Park – to know that Gareth Edwards, JPR Williams, Barry John and their teammates were a once-in-a-lifetime bunch of players. David Tossell’s book tells the story of the 1970s glory days of Welsh rugby, explaining why your parents are still raving about this most golden of golden generations.
THE ONLY WAY I KNOW by Andy Farrell
Plenty of sportspeople put out autobiographies before they have a story to tell, but you certainly couldn’t say that of Andy Farrell. It’s well over 30 years since he established himself in the legendary Wigan rugby league side of the ’90s, before crossing codes to pursue a similarly successful career in on the other side of the white line. The Only Way I Know charts the Ireland coach’s journey from Lancashire to leading the Lions to victory in Australia.
THE BISH: IT’S ALL ABOUT ME by David Bishop
Welsh rugby folklore is packed with legendary scrum-halves. David “the Bish” Bishop is not one of them, despite being regarded as one of the best nines ever to emerge from the principality. That’s because he won just a single cap for his country, before a punch thrown during a club match curtailed his international career before it had really started. Bishop’s subsequent dalliances with drink, drugs and prison ensure this is a rugby memoir like no other. It also features a foreword from Welsh football manager Craig Bellamy.
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE RUGBY: RELOADED
The follow-up to last year’s Unleashed sees Alex Payne, James Haskell and Mike Tindall – aka the team behind the The Good, the Bad & the Rugby podcast – bringing their popular mix of anecdotes and oval-ball banter back to the printed page.
LE COQ: A JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF FRENCH RUGBY by Peter Bills
With its reputation for flamboyant play and extremely passionate fanbase, France has a rugby culture all of its own. Former Rugby World editor Peter Bills’ gallic adventure explores the history and development of the game on the other side of the Channel, with input from French legends such as Serge Blanco and Antoine Dupont, as well as overseas stars like Ronan O’Gara and Dan Carter who’ve plied their trade in the Top 14.
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 MINUTES by Robert Kitson
Long-serving Guardian rugby correspondent Robert Kitson tracks down some of the biggest names in the game to deliver his very own state of the rugby nation. Sean Fitzpatrick, Brian O’Driscoll, Maggie Alphonsi, Eddie Jones and Sir Clive Woodward are among the rugby legends sharing their opinions on the concept of greatness, and the past and future of the sport.
SEVENS HEAVEN by Ben Ryan
Ben Ryan is currently performance director at Brentford FC but in a previous life he led Fiji to Rugby Sevens gold (the country’s first ever medal) at the Rio Olympics in 2016. In Sevens Heaven he recalls how he moved from the England set-up to manage the Pacific islanders, with just three years – and limited resources – to shape their natural talent into a team capable of beating the giants of the game.
SCRUM QUEENS: THE STORY OF WOMEN’S RUGBY by Ali Donnelly
This year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup was the biggest in history but it’s been a long road getting to the point where the Red Roses could sell out a Twickenham final. Ali Donnelly, founder of scrumqueens.com, takes a journey through the history of the women’s game, from wartime matches through to the first World Cup in 1991, and the rise of modern-day superstars like Ilona Maher and Ellie Kildunne.
TRIUMPHS, TROPHIES AND TROUBLES by Peter Bills
Anyone who watched Ireland play rugby in the ’90s would struggle to believe that a team usually found competing for the Five Nations Wooden Spoon would be world number one heading into the 2023 World Cup. In Triumphs, Trophies and Troubles, author Peter Bills speaks to some of the biggest names in the Irish game as he explores the national team’s relationship to its grassroots, and its co-existence with the ever-popular GAA.
RUGBY WAS F***ING BETTER WHEN… by Paul Williams
In this follow-up to Rugby Has F***ing Laws Not Rules, Rugby World columnist Paul Williams wonders whether the game really has – as some fans might claim – gone. Was the 15-player code really better in the old days, or are we guilty at looking at the past through rose-tinted glasses?
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