Geoff Parkes

A World in Conflict Geoff Parkes

Power and influence in rugby is shifting away from its historical tie to international on-field success, much of it in the southern hemisphere, to the boardrooms of cashed-up, influential rugby clubs in the UK and France.


A confused rugby calendar is subjected to a 'land grab' from clubs and national unions, all striving to maximise revenue. Player welfare concerns are cited by all and sundry, yet are cast aside as soon as there is a dollar to be made.


Told through the eyes of rugby identities from around the world, this is a fascinating story of a once staunchly amateur sport now fully engulfed in the clutches of professionalism--the future uncertain and the fabric of 'the game they play in heaven' straining under the excesses and ambitions of rugby's new powerbrokers.