Triumphs, Trophies and Troubles : In Search of the Soul of Irish Rugby

In late 2024 Ireland, with a population of just 7 million people, stood at the top of rugby union's world rankings. Ireland's rise to such an exalted position has been the great triumph of rugby's professional era. For a nation that fought tooth and nail to keep the game amateur, their progress since 2000 has been extraordinary. The trophies, once so rare in Irish rugby hands, have become almost commonplace. Six Nations Championships, Triple Crowns, Millennium Trophies have all stood in the IRFU offices in Dublin.

But what of the heart and soul of the game beyond the elite level? In this entertaining and whimsical journey, award-winning international rugby writer Peter Bills takes the pulse of Irish rugby at every level—schools, clubs, provinces and the fast-expanding women's game. For if rugby at grassroots level withers, the decline will affect everyone. How can the sport learn to live side by side with the ubiquitous GAA? And what is the true health of Irish rugby in this, the 150th anniversary season of the IRFU?

Featuring interviews with legendary names such as Keith Wood, Willie John McBride, Tony Ward, Gordon D'Arcy, Trevor Ringland and Tommy Bowe, Bills also hears from men and women doing stirring work behind the scenes at junior and club level—at Dingle, Kinsale, Monkstown, Boyne, Westport, City of Derry, Donegal Town, Omagh and Oughterard. The result is a richly detailed portrait of a sport and the communities that sustain it, complete with a foreword by former Ireland fly half Ollie Campbell.