Awards
- Winner of British Sports Book Awards: Best Rugby Book 2011
- Winner of British Sports Book Awards: Best Rugby Book 2011.
Overview
Murrayfield, the Calcutta Cup, February 1990. England v. Scotland - winner-takes-all for the Five Nations Grand Slam, the biggest prize in northern hemisphere rugby. Will Carling's England are the very embodiment of Margaret Thatcher's Britain - snarling, brutish and all-conquering. Scotland are the underdogs - second-class citizens from a land that's become the testing ground for the most unpopular tax in living memory- Thatcher's Poll Tax. Fifteen men in blue jerseys are plotting the downfall of the English oppressors. In Edinburgh, nationalism is rising high - what happens in the stadium will resound far beyond the pitch. Beyond a Game brilliantly recaptures a day that has gone down in history. This is the real story of an extraordinary game, told through the eyeys of the players, coaches and supporters who were there. With almost unprecedented access, Tom English has produced a book that puts the reader right at the heart of the action, and far beyond a game.
Full Product Details
Author: Tom English
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
Imprint: Yellow Jersey Press
Dimensions:
Width: 13.50cm
, Height: 2.10cm
, Length: 21.60cm
Weight: 0.310kg
ISBN: 9780224082761
ISBN 10: 0224082760
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 04 March 2010
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Out of Print
Availability: Out of stock
Reviews
I enjoyed this book enormously. The match is one of my enduring rugby memories, and reading The Grudge it all came flooding back -- John Inverdale The finest book written on the tournament ... English has produced an absolutely outstanding work, weaving in the strands of history, politics, sociology, dislike and tactical nous, which makes the game probably the most remarkable ever played in the grand old tournament. The insights provided into the minds and roles of Jim Telfer and Brian Moore are worth the price alone -- Stephen Jones * The Times * Superb ... a fantastic drama. The Grand Slam match was part of a political world ... This is what gave the occasion its power, its glory and its ultimate significance * The Herald * Gripping ... Tom English has interviewed all the main protagonists to produce a richly textured picture of the build-up, the day itself and the aftermath * Independent * 5 stars. An epic tale of clashing personalities. The Grudge puts you right on the touchline as the English and Scottish teams go to war. -- Simon Briggs * Daily Telegraph *
Author Information
Tom English was born in Limerick in 1969. He began his career at the Sunday Times and is now chief sports writer for Scotland on Sunday. In 2007, 2008 and 2009 he was named Scottish Sports Feature Writer of the Year. He lives in Stirlingshire with his wife and two children.
