The Art of Coarse Rugby [Paperback]

Michael Green (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Art of Coarse | Publication Date: April 1997

"One of the funniest books about any game". - Sunday Express

This best-selling classic, now updated for the Coarse Rugby player of the 1990s, includes all of the truly fine points of the game.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'Not many people have been funny about sport but Michael Green does it superbly.'-Sunday Times"

About the Author

Michael Green's books can be considered contemporary classics - his devastating advice on a wide range of activities from acting to Rugby Union has established The Art of Course as part of the language. The series has sold over a million copies around the world, been translated into several languages, and adapted for the stage and television. John Jenson was born in Australia, the son of an artist. He has been the regular political cartoonist for the Sunday Telegraph, and frequently contributed to Punch.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Robson Books (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861050011
• ISBN-13: 978-1861050014
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,271,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funniest book in years, January 16, 2000

By 

Neil McCubbin (Foster, Quebec) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Coarse Rugby (Paperback)

I read the original edition in the 1960's, and desperately want to find a copy.

It was one of the funniest books I ever read, but will appeal only to those who play, or are at least familiar with, rugby.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hilarious stories of those not able to be on the first side!, January 20, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Coarse Rugby (Paperback)

I laughed so hard reading this book! After reading his book you can tell if you are a rugger (play on the first side) or a coarse rugby player (play on the other sides). A must read for all rugby footballers

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars rules? what rules?, May 12, 2008

By 

David W. Straight (knoxville, tennessee United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Coarse Rugby (Paperback)

There's much in this delightful little book that will remind you of Stephen Potter's "upmanship" books, as in gamesmanship. Potter, however, tended to emphasize the psychological ploys, and "winning games without actually cheating". You'll get the full gamut, however, in the Art of Coarse Rugby--psychology, rule-bending, and outright cheating. All done in good--or bad--fun. You'll read about the Old Rottinghamians, and their arch-foe the Bagford Vipers. You'll read about Slasher Williams ("so called because of his habit of letting his nails grow long in the rugby season").

It's suggested that one should always carry a small penknife, so that if you're ahead and worried about the other side catching up, you surreptiously puncture the rugby ball (in the Old Rottinghamian matches, spare rugby balls are an extreme rarity). If you have false teeth, leave them with the referee. If you need to bite an opponent, retrieve them from the ref, bite away, and return them to the ref. Having blood-spattered goalposts on your home turf can work wonders. Tell your rivals that you're taking up a collection before the match for an opponent in the previous match who had both his legs broken by a particularly vicious tackle by one of your players. There are suggestions about drawing up ambiguous instructions to help your opponents find your ground--hoping that 4-5 will get lost, and then if you must loan the other club a player, you always have a real ringer available. Bribing groundskeepers to close the field 15 minutes early when you're in the lead is a must. And so on.

We're not talking about the Lions here, or the All-Blacks, just low-level club rugby. You'll find this book lots of fun!