Rugby Flyer

With the Six Nations underway and interest in rugby at a high, Gerard Siggins’s Rugby Flyer, the fourth in his Rugby Spirit series, is very welcome. A clever mix of sporting action – Siggins was a sports journalist and knows just how to bring the excitement of the game alive on paper – mystery and ghost story, it’s a terrific read.

Young Eoin Madden is a keen rugby player and excited when he’s offered the chance to train over the summer at top team Leinster. Eoin is actually a Munster supporter, but mature enough to put normal rivalries aside (his friend Dylan finds it harder). The best players are invited to take part in a prestigious European tournament at Twickenham no less, and Eoin makes the team. That’s where his other talent comes to the fore: as well as being a gifted young rugby player, Eoin can see ghosts. Who should he meet at Twickenham but Alexander Obolensky, whose try for England against the All Blacks in 1936 is rugby legend. Obolensky is looking for a missing piece of treasure, one half of a Fabergé egg in fact, and Eoin is able to help him find it.  The egg is worth millions, but meeting Obolensky is more satisfying by far for Eoin, who manages to recreate that famous try, snatching the ball on the right wing and using his pace to streak away from the surprised opposition before touching down feet first!

Really good sports series are thin on the ground, particularly those featuring rugby (Tom Palmer’s books being the exception). The descriptions of games, tactics and training in this book will thrill sports mad young readers, whether rugby is their game or not, and the background ghost and mystery story will keep everyone reading. Do google that Obolensky try too, there are clips on YouTube!