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Inside the Cup: Secrets Behind Our All Black Campaigns
Inside the Cup is the definitive story of the triumphs, oddities, heartbreaks, dramas and disasters of every All Black campaign at the Rugby World Cup. New Zealand rugby's master storyteller, Phil Gifford, takes you behind the scenes to relive the action as it happened and as told by those directly involved.
You'll find out why Buck Shelford was dropped, which All Blacks were actually sick before the 1995 final, why Taine Randell believes he shouldn't have been captain in 1999, what exactly led to Graham Henry being reappointed as coach despite the miserable result in 2007, and why Steven Donald is called Beaver.
Gifford knows all of the players and personalities – he was there. He details a fascinating and often tumultuous journey, from a boozy dinner in Cardiff where the idea for a global tournament first got off the ground, to the breathtaking finale of the victorious 2011 Cup. Inside the Cup is the perfect book for every true rugby fan.
You'll find out why Buck Shelford was dropped, which All Blacks were actually sick before the 1995 final, why Taine Randell believes he shouldn't have been captain in 1999, what exactly led to Graham Henry being reappointed as coach despite the miserable result in 2007, and why Steven Donald is called Beaver.
Gifford knows all of the players and personalities – he was there. He details a fascinating and often tumultuous journey, from a boozy dinner in Cardiff where the idea for a global tournament first got off the ground, to the breathtaking finale of the victorious 2011 Cup. Inside the Cup is the perfect book for every true rugby fan.
Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2015
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About the author
Phil Gifford
22 booksA prolific writer and broadcaster, Phil Gifford has reported on every Rugby World Cup since 1987, and will be in Britain to cover the 2015 tournament.
He has won nine New Zealand radio awards, has twice been judged New Zealand sportswriter of the year, and three times New Zealand sports columnist of the year. He has also won two Dulux national print awards for news reporting, in 1976 (on the Captaine Bouganville shipwreck) and 1981 (on the Springbok tour). In 1973 Phil invented the satirical rugby character Loosehead Len, and wrote his columns for 32 years. He continues to write a column in the Sunday Star-Times, and in 2014 was a member of the Fairfax Media team at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. In 2010 Phil was honoured with the SPARC lifetime achievement award for services to sports journalism.
His work includes biographies of Joe Stanley, Grizz Wyllie, Mike Brewer, Peter Fatialofa and Todd Blackadder. His own memoir, Loose Amongst the Legends, was named one of the biographies of the year in the New Zealand Listener’s 100 best books of 2014.
Phil lives in Auckland, with his wife Jan.
He has won nine New Zealand radio awards, has twice been judged New Zealand sportswriter of the year, and three times New Zealand sports columnist of the year. He has also won two Dulux national print awards for news reporting, in 1976 (on the Captaine Bouganville shipwreck) and 1981 (on the Springbok tour). In 1973 Phil invented the satirical rugby character Loosehead Len, and wrote his columns for 32 years. He continues to write a column in the Sunday Star-Times, and in 2014 was a member of the Fairfax Media team at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. In 2010 Phil was honoured with the SPARC lifetime achievement award for services to sports journalism.
His work includes biographies of Joe Stanley, Grizz Wyllie, Mike Brewer, Peter Fatialofa and Todd Blackadder. His own memoir, Loose Amongst the Legends, was named one of the biographies of the year in the New Zealand Listener’s 100 best books of 2014.
Phil lives in Auckland, with his wife Jan.
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November 21, 2015
Learnt a lot I didn't know about the All Blacks in the World Cup quests between 1987 and 1999 - most of the more recent stories I was aware of via other books read in the same space. For those looking to understand more about the All Blacks evolution from World beaters, to also runs and back to World leaders and beaters this is a great read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review