Le Coq

A Journey to the Heart of French Rugby

Peter Bills

• Publisher: Allen & Unwin
• Year: 2023
• eBook ISBN:
  9781838956042
• Print ISBN:
  9781838956035
• Subtopic: Travel

'An impassioned tour around France which is best enjoyed with a bottle of red ... or two.' The Sunday Times

'I've known Peter for some years and I'm sure you will enjoy his personal journey to the heart of rugby in this superb country.' Dan Carter, Former All Black and Rugby World Cup winner

'Bills' wondrous travelogue features so many great tales from the mouths of legends.' Irish Independent

'I really enjoyed this book ... A great memoir of France and its people through the eyes of rugby.' Michael Lynagh, TV analyst and Australian Rugby World Cup winner

'Wonderful! This is a great read. I simply loved it and I am sure that many others will also.' Bob Dwyer, Australian World Cup winning coach 1991

From French rugby's origins in Le Havre to the Catalan coast, acclaimed rugby writer Peter Bills travels the length and breadth of France, visiting the big cities and regional heartlands of the game, to reveal a country whose deep love of rugby has created a culture and playing style like no other.

Featuring exclusive interviews with many of the greatest international players to have played club rugby in France, from Ronan O'Gara to Dan Carter, as well as French legends of the sport, from Serge Blanco and Jean-Pierre Rives to Antoine Dupont, Le Coq brings to life the passion, colour, excitement, characters, anecdotes, locations and great moments of French rugby's near 150 years of existence.

Former French Grand Slam captain Jacques Fouroux talked of 'Rugby; the game, the life'. This book will show you exactly what he meant.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword by Dan Carter
• Prologue
• 1 The Ruggers of HAC: Le Havre–Paris
• 2 City of Mayhem: Paris
• 3 The Journey South: Paris–Bourges–Vichy–Clermont–Ferrand
• 4 The Lost Corridor: Strasbourg–Lille–Besançon–Dijon–Mâcon–La Voulte-sur-Rhône–Cavaillon–Nice
• 5 A Day at The Lake: Sète
• 6 A Litany of Tragedies: Sète–Béziers
• 7 Split Personalities: A small town, a quiet South of France café. For reflection on the violence...
• 8 The Elixir of Life... and a Force of Nature: Béziers–Narbonne
• 9 La Ville Rose: Narbonne–Castelnaudary–Toulouse–Auch
• 10 Peter Pan and The Legend of Lourdes: Auch–Lourdes–Bagnères-de-Bigorre
• 11 The Man Who Put Men To Sleep: Biarritz–Bayonne–Perpignan
• 12 Way Out West: Mont-de-Marsan–La Rochelle
• 13 A Golden Era: Toulouse–Castres–Narbonne–Perpignan
• 14 The Rugby-Loving Abbot: Clermont Auvergne–Toulouse–Albi–La Rochelle
• Acknowledgements
• Bibliography