Secrets Behind the World’s Most Successful Team

The All Blacks jersey carries with it an aura of invincibility. Their starting 15 could be injured and the next 15 would still stand head and shoulders above the rest of the world. How did a tiny nation of less than 5 million people build such an unshakeable dynasty of excellence? This premise drives rugby journalist Peter Bills’ book The Jersey.

It is a quest to get into the veins of New Zealand’s rugby fraternity, from the 1800s until today. With unprecedented access to New Zealand rugby, its heroes and work horses, Bills has pieced together an epic tale of a nation obsessed with the oval ball.

The book is a page-turner that sweeps readers along with the author’s enviable gift for storytelling. Reading his words is like sitting around a fire with a village elder, soaking in the opinions of everyone, from the town mayor to the jovial baker on the corner. He strides off on colourful tangents, filling in the rich back story of the numerous real-life characters in the book.

All Blacks legend Colin Meads, who died before publication, told Bills: “They are really good rugby players. They have been brought up with our education system. They have got education and they are disciplined. If they are not disciplined, they don’t quite get into the All Blacks.”

If you love rugby, read the book.

Original article by Chronicle, October 30, 2018.