Product Description

Wales were written off as no-hopers at the start of the 2008 Six Nations. They had failed to reach the World Cup quarter-finals the previous October and had reacted by appointing their 13th coach in 19 years, New Zealander Warren Gatland. On the opening weekend, success appeared unlikely when they trailed World Cup finalists England at Twickenham by ten points at half-time. Their second-half comeback, to earn their first victory at the ground for 20 years, set them on their way, and there was no looking back. In a blistering campaign, they set a new Six Nations record by conceding just two tries in their five matches. The Resurrection Men looks back over the glorious 2008 tournament but also examines the reasons why the foundations laid by Gatland look more secure than those established by Mike Ruddock before his controversial departure from the role less than a year after the side's last Grand Slam triumph in 2005. Wales imploded after Ruddock left, winning only one match in each of the 2006 and 2007 campaigns. His successor Gareth Jenkins asked to be judged on the team's performance in the World Cup. And he was, sacked hours after the defeat to Fiji which meant that, for the third time in five tournaments, Wales failed to make the knock-out stage. Little more than a week later, Welsh Rugby Union officials boarded a plane to New Zealand to meet Gatland and other candidates for head coach. Just two minutes into the meeting, they were ready to offer him the job. He promised them that if Wales won at Twickenham on the opening weekend, the slam would be on. They did and it was.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #147040 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

About the Author
Paul Rees writes on rugby for The Guardian. He has reported on Wales since 1986 and is the co-author of Allan Bateman: There and Back Again, Life At Number 10: Neil Jenkins - An Autobiography and Grand Slam! Year of the Dragon.

Customer Reviews

Enthralling Grand Slam Review
I loved this book almost as much as Paul Rees' review of the 2005 Slam, entitled "Year of the Dragon", and is a must read for all Welsh rugby fans. The author has a unique and most informative way of linking the present with the past, a kind of flashback writing that is most effective while his attention to detail in terms of statistics and linked facts is simply amazing