Attacking the Space: Inside Rugby's Tactical and Data Revolution - 'Illuminating' Eddie Jones

by Sam Larner

'Illuminating' Eddie Jones
'Compelling' Metro
'Well written, insightful and thought-provoking' The Guardian
'Fantastic, a must-read for rugby fans' Ben Youngs

______________________________

Does it matter which foot your fly-half kicks with? How can teams win matches when the clock stops? Why don't wingers actually play on the wing? Does having more possession increase a team's chances of winning?

Leading data analyst Sam Larner lifts the lid on international rugby, using his decade of experience at the professional level to reveal the tactical and data revolution that has taken the sport by storm. Sharing ground-breaking insight into the modern game, Sam explores the exciting innovations players and clubs are currently using to improve their gameplay. He analyses the metrics by which teams succeed and fail in their attempts to win metres, tries and matches, as well as why recent law changes are so important for rugby's development and what a data-driven future holds for the sport.

With each chapter focusing on a different match, such as France facing the All Blacks in 2023 and Wales' remarkable comeback against England at the 2008 Six Nations, Attacking the Space is revolutionary in its approach as the first book to tackle rugby's new obsession with data and tactics. It takes readers on a fascinating tour of modern rugby to offer a twenty-first century overview of one of the world's most exciting sports. This is rugby as you've never seen it before.

Genres: Sports

361 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 29, 2026

Reviews

[Joseph Elwig · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd read of the year.
Awesome book, and would highly recommend to anyone interested in learning more about it egg chasing.
Definitely changed the way I now enjoy watching the game. And has made me want to read some more sports books!

[And · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super interesting! Nice to put some numbers on things. But it's done well it's not lists of numbers the whole time, well explained and argued I thought.

Rugby is live and kicking 🤭


Edit: Brexit means players from other countries need international caps in order to qualify for a visa - fascinating.

[Mei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another audiobook that involved me zoning out for most of it. Definitely got more interesting towards the end and I liked his bits about rugby in the U.S. and women’s rugby but some of that niche technical stuff in the beginning is a real deep cut and clearly just one of his passions. I did appreciate learning why kicking is good though and why rugby stats can be deceptive.

[Hadley Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight explained simply would recommend to anyone looking to understand the game at a deeper level. Very interesting to learn why things happen the way they do and dispelling a lot of myths about the game.

[Ellis Southall · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was certainly some points that was new and I did like the way he focused on how to enjoy the game in a new way. My main complaint is it wasn't nerdy enough I was really hoping for an almost academic deep dive.

[Aeneas Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

great insight into the lesser known world of sports analytics in rugby, would recommend to anyone with a specific interest in rugby.

[Daniel Crowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended. I will watch rugby matches differently now.

[Iain D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read providing data to back up the rationale for why teams play the way they do.