John Tennant: Rugby - the golden age

We've all heard the old line about a good picture being worth a thousand words.

That might be a bit of a stretch but there's no question historic photos can evoke memories, good and bad.

So a leafing through this weighty, high-class book is a march through time.

Although it is largely British in content, there are several New Zealand images of interest.

There's a photo rich in mood of the 1924 Invincibles moments before the kickoff against England, the match most famous for the sending off of Cyril Brownlie.

Then there's George Nepia, cup of tea in hand, arriving to take up his rugby league contract with Streatham and Mitcham in 1935; a stern looking Jock Richardson posing after a match; All Blacks, smokes in hands, grouped on the docks at Tilbury upon arrival in 1935; members of the Maori team pictured in London in 1926 and the 1958 All Blacks performing a haka vastly different from today's version for Japan's Prime Minister.

But there is a good smattering of league photographs - the grim, industrial north of England provides a superb setting for evocative pictures - including Kiwi great Ces Mountford, and the Kiwis taking a stroll on Ilkley Moor in 1947.

The pictures cover topics from training, stadiums, fans, school matches, great and anonymous players. Some have nothing to do, strictly speaking, with the playing of the sport, such as the Lions sliding down Tasman Glacier in 1930, but they give a feel for the times.

Many images are magnificent. You'll find yourself pausing several times, either if it brings back a memory or simply if you wonder how on earth games were ever played in ankle-deep mud.

This is one in a series, including soccer and cricket. It is the ideal coffee table book.

* Reed Publishing, SRP $79.99

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