The top 12 rugby reads on therugbyjournal.com
12 Michelle Orange, Sale Sharks
When you imagine how negotiations to buy a rugby club would go, you might think of secretive boardroom meetings filled with suit-and-tie wearing executives. But in the case of the Sale Sharks takeover in 2016, it all started, at least the first inklings of it, in a New York apartment over a chicken chow mein. READ
11 Jamal Ford-Robinson, Gloucester
Moving into a house known as the ‘Crack Den’ isn’t where you’d expect to find an aspiring pro rugby player, but after falling out of favour at Leicester Tigers academy, that’s where Jamal Ford-Robinson found himself, battling for National 1 survival at Cambridge. READ
10 Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne, SAS & British & Irish Lion
A founding member of the SAS; Britain’s most decorated war hero; and described by some as ‘completely mad’. Once, dressed in black tie, he shot a springbok and delivered it to his Presbyterian minister room-mate. As British & Irish Lions tourists go, Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne might just be the greatest ever. READ
9 Gill Burns, Waterloo & England
In front of a packed wooden stand that once belonged to Everton FC, Gill Burns made her England debut at Waterloo, in a game she’d helped organise. Impressed by what he saw, an alickadoo congratulated her while steering her away from the players’ bar. There were, after all, no women or dogs allowed. READ
8 Maud Muir, Glocuester-Hartpury & England
If you’re lucky, and find yourself in Oxford, the most English of England’s cathedral cities, look to the tree-lined river, and you might catch a glimpse of a rugby superhero deftly punting her way through the waters. Maud Muir is a prop of many talents. READ
7 David Flatman, Bath & England
In a café full of fisherman on the Devon coast, a 20-stone man that looks a bit familiar rocks up on a Triumph bike. He’s here to share stories of gun-wielding hardmen in dark alleys, chainsaw-toting vigilantes, taking uppercuts from Francois Pienaar, the friendliest divorce ever and having ‘Bob in Luton’ trying to brand him racist on Twitter. David Flatman is more than just a pretty face. READ
6 Dean Richards, Leicester & England
Dean Richards crept up to the telephone box unnoticed. The man inside had a sawn-off shotgun he was threatening to use on a former lover, but the number eight took him by surprise, pinning and disarming him in the process. This was life as a ‘bobby’ in the 1980s, so no wonder professional rugby was a breeze. READ
5 Dorchester Gladiators
The Dorchester Gladiators arrived for the tour match wearing heavily the impact of the night before, which had ended only a few hours earlier. As they stepped from the bus, they found themselves facing photographers and TV crews. On the pitch, things got worse, as they faced the 24-time Romanian champions, with every minute broadcast live on national television. READ
4 Mo Hunt, Gloucester-Hartpury & England
Mo Hunt walked into the room filled with the people that had both built and broken her, with emotions still raw after a World Cup she couldn’t even bear to watch. She’d reached a pivotal moment, and there was only one way it was going to play out. READ
3 Armand Vaquerin, Beziers & France
Armand Vaquerin left the bar, returned to his car and came back with a gun. He challenged the bar to a game of Russian roulette and, when there were no takers, he decided to play anyway. Moments later he was dead. At least, that’s one version of events. READ
2 Hannah Botterman, Bristol Bears & England
When the message came that her grandad had died on the day of the World Cup final, Hannah Botterman had to push it out of her mind. On the other side of the world, and sporting an injured knee that had ruled her out of the tournament, she could only watch on as England’s World Cup destiny slipped away. READ
1 Meg Jones, Ealing Trailfinders & England
“The four months between my dad dying and my mum passing away were so tough, she became really dependent on the alcohol to the point where she was basically sedentary. You try and intervene, but quite frankly you have to allow them to suffer in their own suffering.” READ
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