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Book
Release Details sheet THE
RUGBY REBELLION
For the first time, the true history of how the rugby codes split in Australia - a century ago, the battle between amateur and professional idealists in rugby had already begun. Historian, Sean Fagan, the man behind the websites ColonialRugby.com.au (RU) and RL1908.com, has released his first major book, The Rugby Rebellion - The Divide of League and Union. This book covers the unexplored territory of the events that the led to the break-up of Australian rugby that occurred between 1907 and 1910. This remarkable era, when any sports fan would surely have been glad to be alive, is the backdrop for this brilliantly researched history that will be of interest to supporters of either rugby code. It is a thrilling tale - of how rugby in Australia became such a stunning success that it led to an uprising by footy-playing working class blokes dismayed they were not getting a 'fair go'. The dramatic outcome of that anger was the formation of the NSWRL (August 8, 1907). However, the battle was far from over. The rugby establishment fought back hard against the 'new professionalism', and the loss of star players - none less than the great 'Dally' Messenger, rugby's pride and champion footballer. Uncovered during countless hours of digging through micro-filmed newspapers and official League and Union archives, Fagan takes the reader on a journey through rugby's history - from the late 1870s when the game was strictly for amateurs, through the boom days of the 1890s and early 1900s that brought record crowds during inter-state matches and visits from the New Zealanders and from Britain. This part of the book prepares the reader for subsequent events of the League and Union divide, that explain why each side took the positions they did, and what they were trying to achieve. The battle culminates in matches between Kangaroos and Wallabies. But staring defeat in their faces by 1910, the Union officials remain true to their ideals, implementing an off-field ethos that transforms the code, protecting itself from the professional rugby league, and ensuring rugby union's survival. More than a history book, it reveals in an unfolding way the dramatic events and incidents of the time. Respected sports journalist and writer Ian Heads, has described The Rugby Rebellion as "a fabulous sporting story" that is both informative and entertaining. In The Rugby Rebellion, Fagan skillfully pieces together the jigsaw of what went right…or wrong - depending on which way you may wish to consider it - of a time long ago when rugby wars broke out in Australia, and our sporting winters changed forever. The book is a generous 408 pages, including over 90 photographs, as well as match result tables/statistics, and player registers. The
Rugby Rebellion: The Divide of League and Union is available now
from book retailers, mail order or via
The Rugby Rebellion - www.RL1908.com
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