Willie John Book

Willie John McBride is a rugby legend - the boy from Ballymena in Northern Ireland who became captain of the Ireland rugby team and captain of the British Lions for their unbeaten tour against South Africa in 1974. He has remained at the centre of rugby life ever since. During an international career lasting from 1962-75, Willie John played 17 tests for the Lions and was capped 63 times (12 as captain) by Ireland. Later coaching and managing the Lions and Ulster, he was awarded the MBE for services to rugby football in 1971. His book records Willie John's amazing successes and also reveals that his life was not always as happy and straightforward as on the rugby field. He recounts and reveals details of his life from family tragedies to how he had to sleep with two bodyguards at the door during the Troubles. Throughout the book are many of Willie John's wonderful stories, for which he is justly famous.Read More