Muddied Oafs: The Last Days of Rugger by Richard Beard (2003, Hardcover)

Author: Richard Beard
Publisher: Yellow Jersey Press, 2003
Format: Hardcover
Pages: [Please confirm page count if available]
ISBN: 9780224063937
Language: English
Condition: Very Good – clean copy with light general wear

Description
In Muddied Oafs, Richard Beard explores the culture, contradictions, and transformation of rugby union from its amateur origins to the professionalised game of the 21st century. Weaving personal experience with broader sporting history, Beard reflects on the nostalgia, rituals, and fierce loyalties that shaped rugby's identity—and what’s been lost along the way. Insightful, witty, and often poignant, this is more than just a sports book; it's a thoughtful meditation on tradition, class, masculinity, and national identity through the lens of a game in transition.

Why You’ll Love It
Ideal for fans of rugby, sports history, or cultural commentary, this engaging narrative speaks to anyone who's ever loved a game, mourned its changes, or questioned what gets left behind when progress marches on