Behind the Rose Playing Rugby for England

Behind the Rose Playing Rugby for England Stephen Jones and Nick Cain

This is a complete history of the England rugby union team – told by men who have donned the white shirt with its iconic red rose.

Behind the Rose is based on a combination of painstaking research into the early years of the England team, to interviews with a vast array of Test match players from the Second World War, to the present day. World-renowned rugby writers Stephen Jones and Nick Cain delve to the very heart of what it means to play for England, painting a unique and utterly compelling picture of the game in the only words that can truly do so: the players’ own.

Behind the Rose lifts the lid on what it is to pull on the white shirt – the trials and tribulations behind the scenes, the glory, the drama and the honour on the field, and the heart-warming tales of friendship and humour off it.

Absorbing and illuminating, this is a must-have for all supporters who have ever dreamed of walking the hallowed corridors of Twickenham as a Test match player, preparing themselves for battle and then marching out to that field of dreams with the deafening roar of the crowd in their ears and the red rose emblazoned on their chest.

Behind the Rose is published in association with the Rugby Football Union. The RFU Rose and the words ‘England Rugby’ are official registered trademarks of the Rugby Football Union.

ISBN 9781909715196. Price £25.00. eBook ISBN 9780857908162. Published in hardback by Arena Sport on the 8th November 2014.