The domestic season is reaching its climax while the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour is only weeks away – and the new issue of Rugby World gears you up for both events! Plus, there’s a FREE 36-page to the Lions tour. What more could you want?! Here are 15 reasons to get a copy…

1. FREE LIONS GUIDE!

We’ve put together a 36-page guide that celebrates the old and the new of the Lions. We’ve delved into the archives to select brilliant images and notable statistics from previous tours, as well as picking our Greatest Lions XV. Then to mark this year’s tour to New Zealand, we’ve profiled the 2017 coaches, analysed key battle areas for the Test series and produced a detailed travel guide to the seven host cities.

2. All Blacks exclusive

Rugby World has sat down with New Zealand captain Kieran Read to find out what makes him tick on and off the pitch. He talks fatherhood, captaincy, the Lions and the prospect of winning his 100^th All Blacks cap.

3. Is rugby becoming football?

Rugby has long looked down its nose at football but RW columnist Stephen Jones believes the oval-ball game is now losing the moral high ground. He discusses the coaching merry-go-round and attitudes to referees, and even admits he prefers many aspects of soccer.

4. Lions snapshots

Photographer Dave Rogers, of Getty Images, has been on every Lions tour since 1980 and shares his memories – and favourite pictures – from those trips with us.

5. Four Lions in the mix…

We have exclusive interviews with 2017 Lions Dan Cole, Taulupe Faletau, Iain Henderson and Tommy Seymour. Find out what Cole thinks of his critics, why Faletau has been reinvigorated by his move to Bath, how Henderson has developed his game and who Seymour would like to be stuck in a lift with.

6. Title aspirations…

They have both been outstanding performers for their clubs this season and as they head towards the Aviva Premiership semi-finals, we have caught up with Exeter Chiefs back-row Don Armand and Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson.

7. Rugby World Cup 2019 lowdown

Ahead of this month’s pool draw, Rugby World has been on a stadium tour of Kyushu – one of Japan’s four main islands and known as the Land of Fire – to find out what fans can expect at the 2019 World Cup.

8. Get to know Garry Ringrose

He’s impressed for Leinster and Ireland this season and was unlucky not to make the Lions squad, yet the centre points to several fortunate events that he believes have helped him carve out a professional rugby career. We find out more.

9. How New Zealand attack in wide channels

The All Blacks are lethal when they strike at the edges of the pitch – RW’s Alan Dymock analyses how they look to get the ball wide and why forwards are used so frequently in those channels.

10. 1959 Lions tour tales

Want to know what it was like to tour with the British & Irish Lions more than half a century ago? Full-back Terry Davies provides an entertaining insight in this extract from his autobiography. Times have definitely changed!

11. A Lionesses squad

There’s inevitably debate at the moment about whether the women’s game should introduce a Lions tour. RW’s Ali Donnelly turns selector to pick a fantasy British & Irish squad to tour New Zealand – who makes the cut?

12. How to produce quick ball

Freelance technical adviser Ben Pegna explains a step-by-step route to breakdown nirvana, ensuring your team get quick ball at contact with his ‘FLAP’ principle. England Women’s 2014 World Cup-winning coach Gary Street also explains an attacking scrum move and we have fitness tips for fly-halves.

13. Old-school Burger!

As Saracens look forward to the Aviva Premiership play-offs and another Champions Cup final, RW editor Owain Jones went to meet Schalk Burger. The Springbok legend opens up about the state of rugby in South Africa, Saracens’ modern thinking and shaking off his ‘one-trick pony’ tag.

14. Summer tours

It’s not just the Lions heading overseas this summer – England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales have busy Test schedules in June and we have all the details. As well as who’s playing where, we look at coaching changes, set tour targets and select four bright prospects for each country.

15. Plus, all this inside…

• Why Scotland lock Grant Gilchrist decided to stay at Edinburgh
• Owain Jones’s verdict on the 2017 Lions squad – and your views
• England captain Tom Mitchell looks ahead to the London Sevens and USA sevens star Danny Barrett on his country’s progress
• The Secret Player on how he found out about his Lions selection
• Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd gives the Kiwi view on the Lions tour
• A preview of the U20 World Cup in Georgia
• A rant about the proposed 11-month season
• Grass-roots news in our clubs section

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