by Lloyd Jones
First published 2010
In August 1905, a group of young New Zealanders boards a ship bound for England. They are farmers, bootmakers, a miner, and a bank clerk who happen to play rugby for an obscure Auckland team called the All Blacks. None of them expects what awaits across the ocean. Their first match takes place in Devon under golden farm light, resulting in a shocking victory that surprises everyone, including themselves. As the tour progresses through December, these ordinary men transform into celebrities. They crush Yorkshire 40-0, demolish England 15-0, and defeat Ireland by the same margin. Strangers recognize them on city streets. What began as a simple sporting tour becomes something none of them anticipated. Lloyd Jones captures their journey from unknown colonials to international sensations, blending historical fact with fictional insight to explore how quickly obscurity can turn into fame and how unprepared these young men were for the attention that would follow them home.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, sports
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, rags-to-riches
Setting: England, New Zealand
Period: 1905
162 pages · Kindle Edition · John Murray