Rugby School has produced a new book, Pass the Pig’s Bladder, to celebrate the bicentenary of the game of rugby football in 2023.
Profits from the book will go towards Rugby School’s new 1823 Bursary, created to commemorate the bicentenary and in honour of William Webb Ellis who was himself a bursary student.
It will be awarded to boys and girls who show an aptitude for sport and a commitment to rugby football.
Billed as an “essential read for any rugby fan”, the book spans the history of the game with chapters on rugby and politics, the Barbarians, the British and Irish Lions, wheelchair rugby, women’s rugby, rugby locations around the world and how the centenary was marked in 1923.
Forewords to the book have been written by HRH The Princess Royal and Sir Gareth Edwards CBE, with contributions from famous current and former players.
There is also a full history of the game, and an explanation of how local Rugby shoemakers produced leather rugby balls in their famous oval form as this was the shape of the pig’s bladder that held the air inside.
Published by Mercer Books and Rugby School, the book is available to purchase online at £35 (hardback) or £20 (paperback) .