Dragons and All Blacks

Oct 8, 2024 1:30 AM

Author:Huw Richards

'The Bounce of the Century' they called it. A ball kicked across Cardiff Arms Park in the dying minutes of a match between two of international rugby's fiercest rivals. The world's two greatest wingers waited as it bounced towards them, knowing that whoever caught the ball would score and win the match for his country.

Dragons and All Blacks tells what happened when Wales played New Zealand in 1953. The story is written from contemporary accounts and the memories of the men who played that day, including Bob Stuart and Bleddyn Williams, for many of whom the match was the highlight of a career.

The book retells the stories of the two teams and the men who played for them, and charts the events of their lives: how they got to that meeting point in Cardiff in December 1953 and what has happened to them in the half-century since.

Dragons and All Blacks examines the remarkable relationship between two countries on opposite sides of the world, brought together by a mutual passion for rugby with few parallels elsewhere. It shows how their rivalry has developed over a century - from perhaps the greatest of all rugby matches in 1905 to the single-point thriller of 2004 - and looks to its future in the aftermath of the 2005 Welsh Grand Slam and Lions tour of New Zealand.

Reviews

This book is an honest and often troubling insight into the mind of a woman whose achievements in sport pale into insignificance compared to her triumph over her desperate beginnings.

—— Rob Crossan , Sunday Express

A fine portrait of obsession

—— Financial Times

Remarkable and impressive … everything you want to know about Merckx and more.

—— Richard Abraham , Cycling Weekly

The Cantona or Muhammad Ali of cycling, this Belgian’s story is amazing – and it’s told by one of the greatest cycling reporters around... Top Notch

—— Loaded

The full unvarnished of one man’s heaven, and hell, on wheels.

—— i, Independent

The extraordinary and definitive story of a man whose fear of failure would drive him to the highest pinnacles, before ultimately destroying him.

—— Living North

The Muhammad Ali of cycling.

—— TNT Magazine

Packed with stories of controversies, falls, secret deals and bitter recriminations.

—— John Foot , Times Literary Supplement

Scrupulously researched.

—— Graham Robb , Guardian

Enlightening and visceral...An indispensable insight into a man and an illness, Reng's book is a sobering yet brilliant account and may yet restore faith for the disenchanted man in the street

—— Sabotage Times

Enke had often talked to his friend Reng, a journalist-cum-novelist, about writing a book together. Now Reng has done it alone, beautifully...this is the mature work of a writer who has gone far beyond sensationalism. It allows you to turn back and read football differently

—— New Statesman

It should be on every British football fan's reading list

—— Ben East , Metro

A masterpiece… I have read few other books, fiction or non-fiction that is so startlingly sensitive, honest and sincere

—— Bundesligafanatic.com

It’s pitched perfectly – intensely moving without becoming overly emotional or morbid

—— Sharon Wheeler , Times Higher Education

Entertaining, heart-warming and expertly executed, this book is certain to strike a chord with anyone who's ever loved the game. Engrossing and enjoyable... funny and charming

—— Alistair Hunter , Two Banks of Four

An entertaining read, rich in nostalgia and reminiscent of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch, this offers an insight into the power of obsession and how the beautiful game has changed. Moving and amusing

—— Sport magazine

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