Inside the All Blacks - Softcover

McConnell, Robin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0002189119 ISBN 13: 9780002189118

Publisher: Willow, 1999

Synopsis

This is an in-depth profile of the world’s greatest rugby union team. From dressing-room banter to the views of former players, this book shows what it means to be an All Black and what really happens behind the scenes in the All Black camp.

For three years the author, Robin McConnell, lived with the All Blacks, followed them around New Zealand, travelled with them overseas, attended their training sessions, and celebrated and commiserated with them in their dressing rooms – while all the time observing them both as public stars and private individuals. The result is this fascinating fly-on-the wall account of what it’s like to be an All Black.

To gain an understanding of their make-up and a feeling for how and why the All Blacks have become the world’s greatest rugby team, McConnell went back to the early days, interviewing the oldest surviving former players from the 1920s, as well as stars of the post-war era and the current professional team.

These insightful observations are supplemented by the views of coaches, captains and opponents; a chapter on the All Blacks’ legendary rivalry with the Springboks; and the nail-biting build-ups to Test matches involving the Five Nations teams and the British Lions.

In a new chapter for this paperback edition, the author brings the story right up to date, describing the current team and assessing their prospects for victory in the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

About this title

About the Author

Robin McConnell is a Senior Lecturer in sports management at Massey University. He is the author of Iceman, the biography of Michael Jones, and co-author of the biography of Laurie Mains.

From the Back Cover

For three years the author, Robin McConnell, lived with the All Blacks, followed them around New Zealand, travelled with them overseas, attended their training sessions, and celebrated and commiserated with them in their dressing rooms – while all the time observing them both as public stars and private individuals. The result is this fascinating fly-on-the wall account of what it’s like to be an All Black.

To gain an understanding of their make-up and a feeling for how and why the All Blacks have become the world’s greatest rugby team, McConnell went back to the early days, interviewing the oldest surviving former players from the 1920s, as well as stars of the post-war era and the current professional team.

These insightful observations are supplemented by the views of coaches, captains and opponents; a chapter on the All Blacks’ legendary rivalry with the Springboks; and the nail-biting build-ups to Test matches involving the Five Nations teams and the British Lions.
In a new chapter for this paperback edition, the author brings the story right up to date, describing the current team and assessing their prospects for victory in the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

Edition details

• Publisher: Willow
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0002189119
• ISBN 13: 9780002189118
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320