Welcome to the South West Reading Passport 2015, the fourth year of this exciting reading adventure.

This year, to celebrate the Rugby World Cup, we’ve selected a first fifteen of our favourite books about the game. Our featured writer this year is Owen Sheers – and there is lots of information about all the writers on our website www.readingpassport.org.

Your local library and the Reading Passport website have even more rugby reading suggestions, as well as many more recommendations from the world of sport in general.

Go on, tackle a book! Can you Read XV?

White Gold England’s Journey to Rugby World Cup Glory Peter BurnsArena Sport

White Gold is a study of how and why England, the biggest and wealthiest rugby country on the planet, never dominated the game it invented on a global scale until Clive Woodward took charge from 1997 to 2004.

Ten years on from the greatest triumph in English rugby history, Peter Burns traces the key influences that shaped Woodward’s attitude to playing and coaching, how he introduced business practices to the sporting arena and created an elite culture for his England players.

Playing the EnemyNelson Mandela and the Game that Made a NationJohn Carlin Atlantic Books

On 24 June 1995, at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela stepped onto a rugby pitch and, in front of an audience of millions worldwide, a new era for South Africa began.

Playing the Enemy tells the extraordinary story of how that moment became possible, tracing Mandela’s history from Robben Island to Ellis Park.

The Final Whistle The Great War in Fifteen PlayersStephen CooperSpellmount

This is the story of fifteen men killed in the Great War. All played rugby for one London club; none lived to hear the final whistle. Rugby brought them together; rugby led the rush to war.

Some were decorated and died heroically; others fought and fell quietly. Together their stories paint a portrait in miniature of the entire war.

Proud My AutobiographyGareth ThomasEbury Press

Gareth Thomas had it all. He was a national hero, a sporting icon. He was a leader of men, captain of Wales and the British Lions. To him, rugby was an expression of cultural identity, a sacred code.

This is the story of a man with a secret that was slowly killing him. His fear that telling the truth about his sexuality would lose him everything he loved almost sent him over the edge.

Gareth’s inspiring and moving story transcends the world of sport to tell a universal truth about feeling like an outsider, and facing up to who you really are.

The Science of RugbyCraig Twist and Paul WorsfoldRoutledge

The Science of Rugby is the only book examining the scientific principles underpinning the preparation of rugby union and league players for high performance. It draws on the very latest scientific evidence, to explore every aspect of preparation and performance.

This is essential reading for any student, researcher, sport scientist, coach, physiotherapist or clinician with an interest in the game.

A Social History of English Rugby UnionTony CollinsRoutledge

From the myth of William Webb Ellis to the glory of the 2003 World Cup win this book explores the social history of rugby union in England.

Based on unprecedented access to the official archives of the Rugby Football Union, and drawing on an impressive array of sources, the book explores in vivid detail the key events, personalities and players that have made English rugby.

Jonny My Autobiography Jonny Wilkinson Headline

Jonny Wilkinson’s career has crossed three decades and four World Cups. He has accumulated world points records, an impressive list of broken bones and a drop goal that will be remembered forever.

But the peculiar calmness with which he played the game masked a very different reality. In Jonny, he reveals the extraordinary psychology he had to tame in order to be able to dominate his sport: his quest for perfection and obsession to be the best player in the world.

Calon A Journey to the Heart of Welsh RugbyOwen Sheers Faber & Faber

At the 2011 Rugby World Cup a young Welsh side, captained by the twenty-two-year-old Sam Warburton, captured the imagination of the rugby-watching world. Exhibiting the grit and brilliance of generations past, this was a fledgling squad sending out a message of hope - could this be a third golden generation of Welsh rugby? 

It was with this question hanging in the air that Owen Sheers took up his position as Artist-in-Residence for the Welsh Rugby Union. Calon is the inside story of a Grand Slam campaign that galvanised a nation and a gruelling three-test tour of Australia.

FEATURED WRITER

Owen Sheers

The Dragons’ KitchenThe Official Welsh Rugby CookbookVision Sports

Have you ever wondered what your favourite rugby player cooks and eats when he’s not on the pitch? Well now you can find out!

This official cookbook contains over 60 recipes from a who’s who list of Welsh rugby legends. Players from all eras have come together to produce a book that will inspire you to get into the kitchen and attempt to emulate their culinary exploits!

The TestMy AutobiographyBrian O’ Driscoll Penguin

Since 1999, when he made his international debut, there have been few greater players in world rugby than Brian O’Driscoll. In 2010 Rugby World magazine named him its world player of the decade - and since then the legend has only grown.

Now, at the end of his amazing career - which culminated in fairy-tale fashion with Ireland’s victory in the 2014 Six Nations championship - he tells his own story.

The Secret Life of TwickenhamThe Story of Rugby Union’s Iconic Fortress, the Players, Staff and Fans Chris Jones Aurum

Twickenham Stadium is rightly venerated as the home of the Rugby Football Union. While it may bask in this fame, the stadium’s beginnings were very humble.

The Secret Life of Twickenham digs deep into its history to reveal the many men and women, cutting across all social backgrounds, jobs, and positions who have helped to build this iconic stadium into a globally recognised brand.

A Game for Hooligans The History of Rugby Union Huw RichardsMainstream

Over the past two decades, rugby union has undergone immense changes, from introducing a World Cup and accepting professionalism to creating a global market in players.

As well as exploring the great matches, teams and players, A Game for Hooligans considers the social, political and economic changes affecting the sport’s development.

Legacy - Fifteen Lessons in LeadershipWhat the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of LifeJames KerrConstable

In Legacy, best-selling author James Kerr explores the motivation and drive behind the world’s most successful sporting team, the New Zealand All Blacks, and applies this knowledge to the creation of 15 powerful and practical lessons for leadership and business.

Legacy is a uniquely inspirational handbook for leaders in all fields.

Lion Man The AutobiographyIan McGeechan Simon & Schuster

Ian McGeechan’s longevity as a rugby coach is astounding. Over the course of 20 years, he has been at the centre of almost every major story in rugby. McGeechan began his career as a player - winning more than thirty caps for Scotland and twice touring with the Lions.

As coach to the Scottish national team, he led his country to a famous Grand Slam victory in the 1990 Five Nations tournament. His continued success has resulted in his appointment as head coach of the Lions five times, including the Lions’ 2009 tour to South Africa.

City Centre High Ball to High Finance Simon Halliday Matador

In his candid and lucidly written autobiography City Centre, former England rugby international Simon Halliday takes the reader on a roller-coaster trip along Twickenham’s corridors of power.

Halliday transcended the world of amateur and professional and he delivers a crushing analysis of the twin pressures of existing at the top of business and international sport.

Exeter Chiefs tackle a book! Top to bottom: Moray Low, Sam Hill and Tom Johnson.

www.swrls.org.uk

SOUTH WESTERN REGIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE

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Gloucester players Richard Hibbard and John Afoa Read XV!