In August 1905 a party of young men set sail for England. Amongst them were ordinary farmers and bootmakers, a miner and a bank clerk. Together they made up the All Blacks, an unknown rugby team from Auckland, New Zealand. And they had come to show the world what they could do.
What they didn’t know was that they were bound for fame.
The first game was in Devon, ‘played in golden farm light, a surprising victory’. By December they had become the ‘wonderful All Blacks’ who had beaten Yorkshire 40-0, England 15-0 and Ireland 15-0. People stopped them in the streets.
In this melding of true history and imagination, Lloyd Jones has recreated an unforgettable journey from innocence to celebrity.
What they didn’t know was that they were bound for fame.
The first game was in Devon, ‘played in golden farm light, a surprising victory’. By December they had become the ‘wonderful All Blacks’ who had beaten Yorkshire 40-0, England 15-0 and Ireland 15-0. People stopped them in the streets.
In this melding of true history and imagination, Lloyd Jones has recreated an unforgettable journey from innocence to celebrity.
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Reviews
This starkly beautiful book . . . tackles the origin of myth, the creation and nature of man-made beauty, and the sense of self New Zealanders have both as individuals and as a nation
'Impressionistic and very vivid account of the birth of a sporting legend'
'Jones often expresses himself in beautifully clear prose poetry'
PRAISE FOR LLOYD JONES
Jones proves sly, engaging, worth-reading and even re-reading
Being a truthful writer, Jones sees nothing; neither his heroes nor his villains in black and white. His is a bold inquiry into the way that we construct and repair our communities, and ourselves, with stories old and new
Lloyd Jones gives the tired post-colonial themes of self-reinvention ... a fresh, ingenious twist but his real achievement is bringing life and depth to his characters
Lloyd Jones brings to life the transformative power of fiction
'Intriguing'
'Intriguing'
'Jones often expresses himself in beautifully clear prose poetry'