The winter game - Todd Nicholls

The game of rugby has been central to the life of New Zealander Todd Nicholls and, indeed, to that of his country. Yet since the advent of professionalism, it appeared to him that the soul had been bled dry from the sport that some said was the game played in heaven.

Commentators, sponsors, coaches, administrators and even the players themselves now regularly talked about appearance fees and marketing, profit margins and overseas contracts rather than merely playing for their club, province or country.

As a result, the essence and uniqueness that made the game great appeared to have been lost and rugby had become a professional sport not unlike any other. It was now, in other words, entertainment and not solely the manly endeavour it had once been.

In an effort to discover whether the spirit that made the game great still existed, Todd embarked on a two-year odyssey over both hemispheres that saw him attempt to not only rediscover his passion but also uncover why the game had changed and assess the state it was currently in.

His journey was to culminate in the 2005 Lions tour of New Zealand. By focusing on some of the players and coaches who were involved in the series, past series and the issues around the tour, Todd set out to investigate what modern rugby is all about.

Yet this book is about much more than the Lions tour. During his journey, Todd examines the state of the game in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, the European continent and in Britain and Ireland, and he provides a blistering appraisal of the issues facing rugby today.

Including interviews with past and present rugby giants such as Brian O'Driscoll, Tana Umaga, Sir Clive Woodward, Graham Henry, Lawrence Dallaglio, Richard McCaw, Willie John McBride, Colin Meads, Jack Kyle, Sean Fitzpatrick, Gavin Hastings, Justin Marshall, Dan Carter and Martyn Williams,The Winter Gameis for anyone who cares about rugby.