Rugby's Great Split

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The book delves into the transformation of rugby from a sport for public schoolboys to one that became synonymous with the working classes of northern England. It highlights the class conflicts that led to the establishment of rugby league, exploring themes of amateurism versus professionalism, the north-south divide, and the intersection of rugby and masculinity. Through the narrative of working-class involvement and the resistance from middle-class leaders, it recounts the pivotal 1895 split that birthed a new ideology and rule changes, ultimately shaping rugby league as we know it.