Le Coq: A Journey to the Heart of French Rugby

Very interesting and entertaining read. Gives you a good sense of the rugby culture in France and the history. Would recommend.

Great insight into French rugby history

A most enjoyable read about characters from my vintage.

Following reading a review of this book I had to purchase it an interesting I site and a joyful read particularly for rugby fans. Would highly recommend it.

Bloky, repetitive and meandering, but deeply rooted in french rugby communities, and lots of good anecdotes, a guide to the great teams of past and present France, and the culture of the game in France. Not sufficiently reflective of the extent to which the trends he discusses (loss of local teams, decline in violence, professionalisation) are not common to everywhere else (Pontypool, Cornwall, Kelso), and potentially offset by positives.

Excellent book a brilliant read through the various regions of France & the history of the game

This is as much a travelogue as a book about French rugby, which isn’t necessarily bad. I have three main issues with it though. Firstly, although he appears to condemn the violence which has dogged French rugby since its early days, his often graphic and gory descriptions of horrific actions suggest a certain regard, even admiration. Secondly, the constant name dropping becomes irritating. Is there any great French rugby play this guy doesn’t count as his best friend? Thirdly, although he mentions the disgraceful attempts by the Vichy regime, aided and abetted by the union authorities, to wipe out rugby league in France he does not deal with the lingering animosity in league circles or the failure of the union to restore league assets appropriated during the war years.

The subject matter of French rugby is fascinating, and the author is at his best when he sticks to it. Unfortunately, the attempts at comedic asides are grating, and the only thing that raise are laugh are the adolescent attempts at explaining the quirks of french rugby through broader French culture (do the French like running rugby because of a post-revolution commitment to liberté? Really?).Peter Bills' prose style is also messy, with a twisted syntax, and is frequently repetitive (in the first chapter alone he tells us that Paris is near Le Harve four times).In fairness, his editor probably deserves more of the blame than he does. There's a wonderful book here somewhere, but it's hidden beneath far too many wasted paragraphs.