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The bloody World Cup, John Saker 

Inside The Cup: Secrets Behind Our All Black Campaigns
Phil Gifford
Penguin Books, $40.00
ISBN 9780143573463

The next, as yet unwritten, chapter of this book has just been played out with the All Blacks’ ruthless, successful march through this year’s Rugby World Cup.

The bloody World Cup. That we weren’t able to win the thing more often over a 20-year period became a source of national angst. With Inside The Cup, Phil Gifford takes us through each painful derailment (and, of course, the two successful campaigns in 1987 and 2011). Before we get into that, here’s my own theory.

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Becoming heroic, Garth Baker

The Open Side Richie McCaw (with Greg McGee) Hodder Moa, $50.00, ISBN 9781869712761 Valerie: The Autobiography Valerie Adams (with Phil Gifford) Hodder Moa, $50.00, ISBN 9781869712624 Let’s start with the numbers, all big. The initial 60,000 print run of Richie

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Like great sex only better, Robert Burgess

Gladiator: The Norm Hewitt Story Michael Laws Darius Press, $29.95, ISBN 0473078252 Loyal: The Todd Blackadder Story  Phil Gifford Hodder Moa Beckett, $44.95, ISBN 1869588924 Head tilted back, eye-balling you. Norm on the front cover, bold and proud. And so

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Authorised incompleteness, David Grant

Mike Brewer: The Authorised Biography Mike Brewer (with Phil Gifford) Rugby Publishers ISBN 0908630 530 New Zealand blokes are disciples of ritual. Most Saturday afternoons I happily participate in one myself. Following an hour or two chasing a petulant black

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