Odd-Shaped Balls: Mischief-Makers, Miscreants and Mad-Hatters of Rugby Pdf
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FREE ODD-SHAPED BALLS: MISCHIEF-MAKERS, MISCREANTS AND MAD-HATTERS OF RUGBY PDF John Scally | 256 pages | 27 Dec 2005 | Mainstream Publishing | 9781845960414 | English | Edinburgh, United Kingdom John Scally - AbeBooks Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Rugby is not a game for Miscreants and Mad-hatters of Rugby who think that centres are what you find in a box of Black Magic or who confuse Jonah Lomu with Joanna Lumley. At the same time, it is not a game for the bright: what kind of tortured mind would invent an oval ball? Of course, it helps if you know the rules and don't have any fear. In this respect you are in the same boat as most referees, par Rugby is not a game for those who think that centres are what you find in a box of Black Magic or who confuse Jonah Lomu with Joanna Lumley. In this respect you are in the same boat as most referees, particularly if you have a problem with your eyesight. Odd-Shaped Balls captures the humour, the agony and the ecstasy of one of the world's most popular sports. It snoops inside sweaty, smelly dressing-rooms, reveals the passions of coaches and fans - without whom rugby would cease to exist - and delves deep into the sport's archives to recall its heroes, villains and victims, all of whom are part of the daily currency. The book is no less than a who's who of the game, with both old and young getting the opportunity to have their say. All exponents of surrealism, comic genius and savage wit, they offer a quirky insight into the sporting psyche as well as providing some riotous good laughs. Odd-shaped Balls: Mischief-makers hundreds of funny stories, Odd-Shaped Balls is a light-hearted romp through decades of rugby tomfoolery that is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of all sports fans. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published November 3rd by Mainstream Publishing first published October 28th More Details Original Title. Other Editions 3. Friend Reviews. Odd-shaped Balls: Mischief-makers see Miscreants and Mad-hatters of Rugby your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Odd-Shaped Ballsplease sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Lee rated it it was ok Miscreants and Mad-hatters of Rugby 03, Odd-shaped Balls: Mischief-makers 25, russell barnes added it Shelves: sportrugby. It's shallow I know, but I find one of the many benefits of the GoodReads Reading Challenge is I end up finishing even the worst, trashiest books, just to have a chance of hitting my yearly target. Generally this is a moot point because whilst I don't love every book I read, there's enough in the ones I've struggled with to still like and stick with to the end, with a concomitant feeling of virtue Rugby Balls does not fit this bill. I finished it, I wish I hadn't. It's collection of barely coheren It's shallow I know, but I find one of the many benefits of the GoodReads Reading Challenge is I end up finishing even the worst, trashiest books, just to have a chance of hitting my yearly target. It's collection of barely coherent 'jokes', and stories is the worse thing I've ever read. Zero stars. 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About John Scally. John Scally. Books by John Scally. Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got Miscreants and Mad-hatters of Rugby covered with the buzziest new releases of the day. To create our Read more Trivia About Odd-Shaped Balls No trivia or quizzes yet. Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Books by John Scally (Author of Bloody Sunday) Jan Hendrik Ellis 5 January — 8 February was a South African rugby union player who represented the Springboks in 38 tests, which at his retirement in was a record. Born in South Africa, Ellis' family moved to the then-South African protectorate of South West Africawhere he attended school in Gobabisa town in a sheep and cattle-farming region. Determined from early on to make a name for himself as a rugby player, Ellis adhered to a punishing fitness regime throughout his career. He was frequently seen around Windhoek running up sand dunes and carrying rocks in his hands to increase his gripping strength. Teammate Jannie Engelbrecht remembered Ellis as always acting as the pace-maker in training runs, and that he would continue on after others would stop. Although he was selected at lock again for South West's game against Northern Transvaal on 30 June, he was moved Odd-shaped Balls: Mischief-makers flank for subsequent matches that year against Free State and Western Province. Encouraged, he moved to Pretoria in where he joined the Harlequins club with ambitions to play for Northern Transvaal. Between and Ellis played lock, flank, Miscreants and Mad-hatters of Rugby number eight for South West Africa. He was chosen to play for various South African development sides, such as the South African Gazelles tour to Argentina on which he played 9 matches and scored 17 tries, as well as South African Country and South African Barbarian teams. In he Odd-shaped Balls: Mischief-makers invited to the Springbok trials and won a place on the Springbok touring Miscreants and Mad-hatters of Rugby to Australia and New Zealand in Struggling with an injury inhe was at first not selected to attend the Springbok trials prior to the visit by the French national side. When he recovered quicker than expected, the national selectors invited him to play for Durban Collegians in a curtain-raiser to the trials, and he performed well enough to be included in the Springbok squad. Ellis' talents were best displayed when he was paired with flanker Piet Greylinga combination initiated during France's tour to South Africa. Ellis is remembered for his speed, sidestepand ability to hand off opponents—talents most famously on display Odd-shaped Balls: Mischief- makers the two tries he scored at Twickenham against the Barbarian invitational side on 31 Januarywith the ball "clutched in one big, freckled hand and running with perfect balance". He scored two Miscreants and Mad-hatters of Rugby in their 61—21 defeat of the visitors. His final match at the age of 34 for the Springboks was the first test against the All Blacks at Kings ParkDurbanon 24 July An uncharacteristically lucklustre performance contributed to his omission from the national squad for good. Transvaal fielded five players who were injured or ill, including Ellis, who had been bed-ridden with influenza. Nevertheless, his performance was described in the press as better than in the first test. Captions to press photographs of the match referred to his characteristic ball-in-one-hand runs and even an American Odd-shaped Balls: Mischief-makers overhead pass. In the 50 matches that he played for South West, he scored 32 tries and kicked 33 conversions and 7 penalties. Ellis garnered a reputation as a loner with a fiery temper, [21] earning him the nickname "Die Rooi Duiwel" The Red Devil. Ellis was renowned for his blunt opinions and challenged the South West African rugby establishment so often that he was sometimes Odd-shaped Balls: Mischief-makers in retribution. As a result, he played more matches for South Africa than for his provincial side. During the —70 Springbok tour of Britain Ellis disliked the way that coach Avril Malan treated him so much that he packed his bags and had to be persuaded by Frik du Preez and Gerhard Viviers not to board a train to the airport.