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Power and influence in rugby is shifting away from its historical tie to international on-field success, much of it in the southern hemisphere, to the boardrooms of cashed-up, influential rugby clubs in the UK and France.
A confused rugby calendar is subjected to a ‘land grab’ from clubs and national unions, all striving to maximize revenue. Player welfare concerns are cited by all and sundry, yet are cast aside as soon as there is a dollar to be made.
Told through the eyes of rugby identities from around the world, this fascinating story of a once staunchly amateur sport now fully engulfed in the clutches of professionalism, will help you plot a path through the maze of uncertainty, and determine whether the fabric of 'the game they play in heaven' can survive the excesses and ambitions of rugby’s new powerbrokers.
Raised in a rugby family in New Zealand’s King Country, Geoff Parkes is a Melbourne-based writer.
He writes for Australia's leading interactive sports website The Roar, his regular Monday column 'The Wrap' popular for its weekly insights into all matters rugby.
Combining a solid rugby pedigree with a degree in Physical Education (Otago), a Masters of Business Administration (Monash) and post-graduate study in Creative Writing (RMIT), Geoff is eminently qualified to write with authority on matters impacting on rugby globally, on and off the field.
In addition to sports writing, Geoff maintains business interests in Dental Practice, Education and the Health and Beauty industry.
'A World in Conflict: The Global Battle For Rugby Supremacy' is his first book.
“Engrossing and provocative”
Wayne Smith, The Australian
"This book is much more than an entertaining snapshot of rugby's present, it is also provides an essential window to the enormous global challenges the great game faces."
Dylan Cleaver, sports editor-at-large, NZ Herald
“One of the must-read sports books of the year, a compelling account of rugby's battle to save its soul in the professional era.”
Spiro Zavos, rugby author and columnist
“Ever wondered how the business of rugby works? This book will guide you through the moral and financial maze and will make you think long and hard about the future of professional rugby union.”
Robert Kitson, The Guardian.
Keep updated on rugby union with Geoff's regular column 'The Wrap', published each Monday at The Roar.
Thanks for visiting my site and considering purchasing my book. I hope you find the topic and content as fascinating as I do.
Rugby fans are typically well informed about their sport, never short of an opinion on the state of the game, player comparisons, selection and refereeing controversies and so on. As you would expect, these views do not always align, and they feed into animated discussions over a pint or in internet forums.
What is interesting about this book is that once I started talking to leading rugby people from around the world I quickly realised that there was common agreement that the game is at a crossroads, and there is shared concern for what the future holds.
Further, person after person told me that this is a rugby book that is long overdue. Followers of the game everywhere are aware of player movement, the increasing concentration of money and power in England and France, player welfare concerns and so on. But never - at least until now - has there been an attempt to place all of the factors impacting on rugby into a single context, and from there, project possible paths forward for the game.
I invite you to draw your own conclusions, and in the process trust that you will be entertained, educated, alarmed and heartened.
Best wishes,
Geoff
