The problem with English rugby

PROFESSOR Tony Collins laughs when you ask about the reaction to his new book: “I’ve gotten a good response from people who aren’t English,” he says.

“But there’s been a deafening silence from English rugby fans themselves. Which is interesting.”

You’d hope it’s not that they’re ignoring the book, A Social History of English Rugby Union, because it’s a fascinating look at the construction of England’s rugby identity. If that sounds stuffy, it isn’t meant to. Collins explains how much your idea of what rugby means depends on one book published in 1857. “I wanted to see what motivated people when it came to the idea of rugby as a moral force which gave people confidence,” says Collins. “I went back to Tom Brown’s Schooldays – which is not an easy book to read, it’s really dated – it’s clear that much of its comes from that.”