Sportsbook round-up: The French rugby player who missed an international cap over a sandwich
Irish Bestseller List
Penguin Ireland
Sales: 677
2. My Story by Steven Gerrard
Penguin
Sales: 608
3. Standing My Ground: The Autobiography by Brendan Cummins
Transworld Ireland
Sales: 288
Penguin Ireland
Sales: 269
Hodder & Stoughton
Sales: 194
Week ended October 17
BOOK REVIEW
A fascinating insight into the thought process of a top-flight international referee and his life off the pitch.
The only Irishman to have refereed a Rugby World Cup final, Rolland opens the book with his thought process and anxiety on the day he was to find out if he would be that final referee.
While Rolland’s story has a beginning to end thread at the core there are stories from throughout his career wrapped around that thread. He mentions incidents in passing before they are picked up and dealt with in greater detail later in the book.
His early days as an elite rugby player are given full treatment though the stories don’t break the traditional “what goes on tour..”, it is more a case of Rolland sharing his own personal circumstances and feelings around his playing career.
Rolland shares the heartache of his father’s decline and then death, his relationship with rugby captains from the good (Thierry Dusautoir), the bad (Pascal Papé) to the ugly (Steve Borthwick). He also details examples of his own mistakes as a referee as well as his self-belief in the face of public criticism.
WHAT’S IN THE BOOK?
The Little Book of Rubgy Facts by Eddie Ryan
All you need to know about rugby, in a nutshell.
My love of Irish sport. The passion of the fans, and the pride and passion of the players. Rugby is now the fastest growing sport in the country. I wanted old and new fans to get a taste of the history, the humour, and the amazing stories of this wonderful game.
’You’re not a rugby player unless you have been dropped.’ The late great Jack Kyle on the importance of bench service!
French player Giles Varielles who was called up to the French rugby team in 1910. The train stopped for a comfort break on the way to the game. Giles had worked up an appetite and hopped off to buy a sandwich. While making the purchase he heard the train siren, and watched in horror as the locomotive began to pull out of the station. Despite his best efforts, he missed the train, and his international debut. The French rugby board took a very dim view of his departure, and he never played for France again. Which of course meant he never played at all, and all because of a sandwich!
Tom Crean (Not the explorer). He played rugby for Leinster and Ireland. He was also one of Leinster’s first British & Irish Lions. He won a Victoria Cross at the battle of Elanslagte. Despite coming under heavy fire he attended to two wounded soldiers, after being wounded himself.
The villian of the piece has to be the Springbok Johan Le Reux, who brought a whole new meaning to the term ’Big game Hunting’. He was banned, for attempting to to bite New Zealand’s Sean Fitzpatrcik’s ear off. He said ’I should have bitten the guy’s ear off. At lest then I could have said, I’ve returned to South Africa with the guy’s ear.’
The Little Book of GAA Facts.
A game for Hooligans (A history of Rugby).
It fits in your pocket, so read it everywhere.
Rugby is truly a great game. It is filled with hero’s and has a wonderful history.
