!!Official History of English Rugby DVD traces the origins of the game from its inception at Rugby School through to Autumn International success against Australia in 2005 and defeat of Grand Slam champions, Wales, in the 2006 Six Nations.Product features:
• An official double DVD
• Classic action from the 1920s to 2006
• Relive great tries, historic Grand Slams, and, of course, the 2003 Rugby World Cup
• Plus interviews with some of England’s greatest players
On the Home Nations front, the programme features all the great English teams from the early era of Poulton Palmer and Wavell Wakefield, which won three Grand Slams in the 1920's, and Eric Evans' 1957 Grand Slam winning team - the first since 1928. The 1970s and 1980s were dire periods for English rugby with the mighty exception of Bill Beaumont's 1980 Grand Slam side. However, England's place at the top of the Five Nations tree returned in the 1990s with Will Carling's epic treble Grand Slams of 1991, 1992 and 1995.
It was the arrival of Clive Woodward in 1998 that really set England on the road to world domination, although the Grand Slam seemed an elusive prize as England fell at the final hurdle four years in a row, from 1999 to 2002. However, England went into the 2003 Six Nations on the back of sensational performances against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in the Autumn Internationals, and wrapped up the Grand Slam after tearing the Irish apart 42-6 in a scintillating display of rugby at Lansdowne Road. England then took this form to the World Cup, having beaten Australia and New Zealand again in the Summer of 2003, and the rest is history...Lawrence Dallaglio reviews England's incredible success and highlights of all the key games, and also looks back at the previous World Cup campaigns.
Post World Cup brought the retirement of the likes of Back, Johnson and Sir Clive himself, plus long-term injury to talisman Jonny Wilkinson, and England struggled to find their form. However, recent Autumn International displays against New Zealand and Australia have inspired more confidence in the team and they go into the 2007 season with renewed hopes of defending their World Cup crown.
Footage courtesy of BBC, FRU, Octagon, Movietone, TWI and BSkyB.
This is an updated version of The Official History of English Rugby, released in September 2003, Cat. No. GUDVD5046.
Interspersed with interviews from Rob Andrew, Martin Johnson, Ian Balshaw and Dean Richards, this is a thrilling and comprehensive History of English Rugby Union. Buy it from the Green Umbrella Online Shop and you’ll also save £4.00.
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