The British and Irish Lions are one of the most famous and recognized teams in world rugby. Every four years, the Lions—selected from the national sides of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland—head to the southern hemisphere to do battle with either New Zealand, Australia, or South Africa. Acclaimed sportswriter Jeff Connor interviews a host of players—from the oldest surviving Lions from the 1946 tour and the icons of the game to those who have become mere footnotes in history—and draws out the compelling human stories from each Test series. The ups and downs of tour life are captured—the pride of being a Lion, the numerous personal feuds, and the many humorous anecdotes, taking in the historic wins and the ignoble losses. Many Lions had their lives enriched by having worn the famous red jersey; an equal number had their lives changed irrevocably in the opposite direction. Full of previously unchronicled stories—Des O’Brien was away from home for nine months on the 1946 tour which almost cost him his marriage; while in 1966 one well-known English winger went off tour with a woman he met in a bar and reappeared only for the last two matches—the book will conclude with the disastrous 2005 New Zealand tour and trenchant opinions from the players on the controversial Clive Woodward. Thanks to a host of amusing and heartbreaking anecdotes about life with the Lions, the book will offer a fascinating insight into how touring, sport and life has changed in the last 60 years.
Once Were Lions
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle.
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
'Jeff Connor's spare and clinically crafted reporter's skills are to be admired' Guardian
About the Author
Jeff Connor is a sports correspondent for the Mail on Sunday and the author of eleven books, including The Lost Babes, Pointless: A Season with Britain's Worst Football Team, Up Down and Under, and Wide-Eyed and Legless.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The way the story was always meant to be told,
By
This review is from: Once Were Lions: The Players' Stories: Inside the World's Most Famous Rugby Team (Hardcover)
Once Were Lions is not the complete and unabashed history of the Lions. It does not give you point for point descriptions of each match. If that is what you seek, then look elsewhere. This is the story of the men who are known today and will for all time bear the title of Lions. Written in a style which truly draws the reader in and divided into sensible chapters, the stories of the men come to life. The authors expose the humanity in men who seem nothing less than demigods. From the story of the gallantry of these heroes both on the field of play as well as the field of battle to the tragedies that have cost at least one of these men his very mind and body, the book and authors never lose sight of the glory and prestige that goes into the lions. Many of the books of rugby that fill the shelves of stores are no more than cookie cutter autobiographies. This is a work that is fit for the ages.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
