sports books. Last minute gift ideas for Christmas

After a dismal decade, Gilles-Antoine Dupont reconnected with the public with the French rugby team. A Grand Slam in the Six Nations, a string of thirteen successes in progress: This year 2022 will still be a fine vintage for French rugby. With “Anthology of the Blues,” L’Equipe journalist Richard Escott arrives just in time to allow us to revisit the history of France’s Fifteen. This nodding song began in 1906 with a defeat against the All Blacks. (8 -38) in the old Parc des Princes.

His beautifully illustrated book, by Olivier Magny, does not follow a time line. Explore topics. Stop first on those who made the Quinze de France, its heroes, with this quote from Austrian writer Stefan Zweig as a highlight: “History does not tolerate any intruder, it chooses its own heroes and rejects without pity the beings who have not chosen, whatever the trouble which they have endured great.” But he also dwells on his “martyrs,” whose talent was not always lucky to please the breeders: Philippe Strociano, Jean Duger, André Boniface, Joe Massu, Didier Codorneau.

The French XV and the Championship, the third half of the France XV, the captains, the France XV and the World Cup, the playing styles, the coaches, the legendary ten matches are all stops on this journey of more than a century. At every stop we are pleased to meet a great witness: Vincent Clerc, Henri García, Abdellatif Benazi, Philippe Saint-André, Pierre Filbroux and Pierre Berbizier. The originality of the book is also to open this long masculine world exclusively to women. Each season is an opportunity to highlight the fifteenth ladies in France.

As for the statistic fans, they will also find what they are looking for at the end of the book as all of France’s XV XV Championship matches and all of the Blues selected up to the end of the 2022 Six Nations are listed there.

Blues Anthology. Solar Editions. 255 pages. 37 euros.

Memories of old school rugby

Two years ago, Serge Colnet recounted his experience as a teacher at the Lycée Georges Braque, in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, and as a talent scout – Wesley Fofana, Vincent Ratis – in “Rugby at heart, Brakeboys”. This time, it’s his personal experience as a “junior player” (from PUC and ASPTT anyway) that this EPS associate professor shares. Above all, it is an era to which he invites us to return. When there were 40 clubs in the top flight, fights punctuated real matches, not a simulation of today’s professional rugby. It is a book, as the epilogue says, with the scent of eucalyptus oil and the friendship in which all amateurs identify themselves. The preface is signed by Emil and Roman Ntamak.

Old rugby memories. Passiflore Editions. 196 pages, 16 euros.

Rugby Golden Book 2022

Do you want to taste the Grand Slam des Bleus again, to relive the European epic of the Stade Rochelais or the coronation of Montpellier? This great year-end classic is for you. We recommend it all the more easily because it offers the pleasure of reading Pierre-Michel Bono, the former “Chappoteur” of “L’Equipe” who thus returns to service. They are often fierce and cheerful. Unique.

Rugby Golden Book. Solar Editions. 141 pages. 24.90 euros.

Thirteen ways to beat all blacks

How to beat the All Blacks team? This is the question that all of France will ask themselves on September 8, during the opening match of the 2023 World Cup. In history, the French XV has succeeded only thirteen times. Thirteen wins in 62 games isn’t much. Nevertheless, Antoine Dupont’s troupe had good reason to hope for the success of the fourteenth. I actually achieved this in the fall of 2021 (40-25).

In his book, Olivier Filbreu dissects thirteen French successes snatched from the best country in history. From the inaugural victory of Jean Prat and his teammates in 1954 to that of Fabien Galtier’s Blues. Introduction by Pierre Berbizier, exercise specialist since he beat the New Zealanders once as a player (1986 in Nantes) and especially twice at home (1994) as a coach.

France – all blacks. Thirteen ways to beat the New Zealanders. Solar Editions. 167 pages. 29.90 euros.

Football: the French championship in a big way

This is the must-have soccer book this holiday season. “French Championship, 90 years of history” for the French First Division and Ligue 1 by Denis Chaumier, former editor-in-chief of L’Equipe and director of France Football at Solar. Everything that has existed, since the beginning of history, is divided into seven chronological periods. The rich stories, pictures, figures and iconography, are enough to know all about the French tournament, in a big way.

“French Championship, 90 years of history”, by Denis Chaumier, Solar Edition, 35 euros.

Qatar 2022: To laugh or not

We must not forget the circumstances in which the 2022 FIFA World Cup was organized in Qatar because it will be a great antiquity in terms of football. This little book ‘Qatar 2022, the other country for football’ from En Exergue Editions chooses irony to get its messages across. In pencil, Alain Leiblang, a former journalist and former FIFA communications expert, knows the point. And for fun (in yellow), Gab’s graphics touch just right. So you don’t forget anything.

“Qatar 2022, Football’s Other Country,” by Alain LeBlang and Gap, En Exergue Éditions, €15.

Tennis: Federer in more ways than one

The year 2022 for tennis, and for sports in general, was marked by the retirement of Roger Federer. Two books published by Talent Sport take a look at this event and the career of the Swiss. His “103 Legendary Titles” where Emmanuel Bringuier and Julien Piccini detail all the tournaments won by “Rogor” and “Tennis 2022”, Emmanuel Bringuier continues to track the main events of the year around the little yellow ball.