The Death of Rugby

Neil Back's Story

Dean Eldredge, Neil Back, Dean Eldredge

• Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• eBook ISBN:
  9781785310959
• Year: 2015

14 years since his autobiography, Size Doesn't Matter, English rugby's most decorated flanker, Neil Back, returns with a tale of triumphs, heartaches, and broken promises. From his anti-hero role as "The Hand of Back" in Leicester Tigers' European Cup triumph over Munster, to Grand Slam glory and the 2003 World Cup with England, Neil is never far from the story. The Death of Rugby dissects the Lions' disastrous 2005 tour of New Zealand, the ousting of his mentor Dean Richards from Leicester Tigers, and Neil's three years in charge of Leeds, before being recruited by The Rugby Football Club, and why Neil and his colleagues had to walk away, despite an unbeaten season, and league, and cup double. Neil deals with the adjustment from professional sportsman into family and regular working life, despite a critical illness in 2013, which has shaped his perspective on life.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Dedications
• Contributions
• Chapter One – We’ve Only Gone And Done It!
• Chapter Two – The Hand Of Back
• Chapter Three – Of Bottlers And Nearly Men
• Chapter Four – All Good Things Come To An End
• Chapter Five – The Weight Of The World On Our Shoulders
• Chapter Six – Dad’s Army
• Chapter Seven – Changes
• Chapter Eight – Farewell
• Chapter Nine – Once, Twice, Three Times A Lion
• Chapter Ten – Leeds
• Chapter Eleven – The Death Of Rugby
• Chapter Twelve – The Long Road Home
• Chapter Thirteen – A Life Less Ordinary
• Chapter Fourteen – Back To The Future
• The Back Row
• Statistics And Honours
• Bibliography
• Photographs