Prize venue: do you know what stadium this is? Then enter our competition

“When i die I don’t want to go to Heaven,” said former Wales wing Glenn Webbe, “I want to go on tour.” We can all relate to that, and this guide to global rugby hotspots will whet the appetite of fans planning to follow their team at home or abroad, writes Rugby World deputy editor Alan Pearey.

Rugby nations big and small feature, the heavyweights getting the full treatment of overview, stadium info, club histories (no Leeds or Exeter), what to do in the capital, facts, stats, even weather watch. It’s no substitute for an out-and-out travel book but authors Adam Hathaway and Daniel Ford – who got together after a chance meeting in a London pub – provide informative reading with an appealing lightness of touch. Much of the info comes from first-hand experience.

The ‘need to know’ facts always entertain, and one in particular was jaw-dropping: that the region of Ospreylia in Swansea really exists, measuring 37 miles by 24 and appearing on the latest Ordnance Survey. If you also want to know when whisky becomes Scotch, what Aironi means in Italian, the origins of Ulster’s Red Hand or where to eat Bunny Chow or find the world’s steepest street, the answers are within these pages. Refreshingly, too, stadiums are given their proper names – no Coca-Cola Park nonsense here.

And Hathaway’s favourite tour destination? “I’d move to Brisbane tomorrow,” he says. “I love the Aussies’ attitude, the weather, their enthusiasm for sport.” Look out for him in the Normanby hotel…

The book is published on 5 July but readers can take advantage of a great launch discount by pre-ordering for just £7 (with free P&P) from newhollandpublishers.com. Use the code ‘Rugby World’.
We’ve six copies to give away. For a chance to win one, tell us: Which ground, dubbed the Cake Tin, is pictured above? Email answers by 8 July rugbyworldcompetitions@ipcmedia.com. Please give a phone number.

RW RATING 4/5

BUY AT:  newhollandpublishers.com RRP:  £12.99   PUBLISHED BY:  New Holland

Got a rugby book or DVD you’d like us to review in the Armchair Zone? Email alan_pearey@ipcmedia.com

This article appeared in the July 2011 issue of Rugby World Magazine.

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