The Oval World

"The oval world" is the first full-length history of rugby on a world scale - from its origins in the village-based football games of medieval times to the globalised sport of the twnty-first century, now played in over a hundred countries. It tells the story of how a games played in an obscure English public school became the winter sport of the British Empire, spreading to France, Argentina, Japan, and the rest of the world, and commanding a global television audience of over four billion for the last World Cup final. It also explores how American football - and other games, such as Australian, Canadian, and Gawlic football - emerged from their English cousin.