The Oval World

The Oval World by Tony Collins

Rugby has always been a sport with as much drama off the field as on it. For every thrilling last-minute Jonny Wilkinson drop-goal to win the World Cup or Jonah Lomu rampage down the touchline for a try there has been a split, a feud, or a controversy.

The Oval World is the first full-length history of rugby on a world scale--from its origins in the village-based football games of medieval times to the globalized sport of the twenty-first century, now played over a hundred countries. It tells the story of how a game played in an obscure English public school became the winter sport of the British Empire, spreading to France, Argentina, Japan, and the rest of the world, and commanding a global television audience of over four billion for the last World Cup final. It also explores how American football--and other games, such as Australian, Canadian, and Gaelic football--emerged from their English cousin.

Featuring the great moments in the game s history and its legendary names--David Duckham, Serge Blanco, Billy Boston, and David Campese, alongside Rupert Brooke, King George V, Boris Karloff, Charles de Gaulle, and Nelson Mandela--The Oval World investigates just what it is about rugby that enables it to thrive in countries with very different traditions and cultures. This is the definitive world history of a truly global rugby.

Collins narrates this history with magisterial skill, weaving in details of matches with the wider historical and social picture -- Mihir Bose * The Independent *
It is truly the definitive work on the game by one of the great experts on the topic * Sportsology *
Readable, exhaustive, grand in scope, carefully crafted, it’s a mother lode of material in a book long overdue project * The Epoch Times *
Perfect * Shortlist *
Rugby does not have the literature it deserves, which makes Tony Collins’s attempt to tell its story all the more noteworthy * The Times *
Collins recounts the global sweep of the sport’s history … using original sources to cut through myth and hearsay, and revealing an instinct for telling anecdote and detail * The Guardian *
Perfect * Choice Magazine *
It is hard to imagine the subject has ever been covered in such loving detail before * Choice Magazine *
Tony Collins has put together this first full-length history of rugby on a global scale and his colourful writing style ensures the book is neither sterile nor boring * Rugby World *
Collins is absolutely brilliant in his recalling of rugby’s history* International Soccer Network *
The Oval World is a must-have for anyone that is passionate about rugby or even those that are still learning about the sport. It’s a great reference, perhaps the best title to ever be written about rugby. It’s that good. Bloomsbury continues a tradition of excellent sporting titles, reaffirming why many believe that they are the best in the business. * International Soccer Network *

Tony Collins is Professor of History in the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University. His previous books include Rugby's Great Split, Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain, and A Social History of English Rugby Union, each of which won the Aberdare prize for sports history book of the year. In 2009, his Social History of English Rugby Union was selected as a book of the year by the New Statesman, the Guardian and the Independent on Sunday. @collinstony

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781408843703
ISBN 10	1408843706
Title	The Oval World
Author	Tony Collins
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Year published	2015-08-27
Number of pages	560
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable