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This book published in July 2006 celebrates one of the landmark achievements - and best kept secrets - in the annals of Welsh rugby or indeed in the history of rugby union football in the British Isles. In the summer of 1956 the Welsh Secondary Schools Rugby Union sent a team of 28 players and six officials to South Africa on an historic 8-match tour. It was the first ever tour to the southern hemisphere by a national team of any age group from the four home countries. The Young Dragons, as they were known, narrowly lost their first game against Eastern Province, then drew against the mighty Orange Free State but won the final six fixtures, including a 21-3 demolition of Transvaal at Ellis Park, Johannesburg. On their return home the Western Mail - the national newspaper of Wales - hailed the team as ‘true rugby heroes’ and the tour as ‘an historic campaign in the game’s history’. Included among the team of 18- and 19-year olds were many players who went on to have a great influence on the game in Wales. Future Triple Crown captain, Grand Slam coach and British Lions’ manager Clive Rowlands made his debut in national colours - as a wing-forward. International fly-half and county cricketer Alan Rees drew comparisons with Cliff Morgan wherever he played on the tour. The majority of the team went on to be the mainstay of Welsh club, university and representative rugby over the next decade and became pioneering coaches at all levels. The Dragons Who Roared is a 120-page fully illustrated hardback book, written by Alan Evans, a noted rugby author, with a foreword by Welsh Rugby Union President Keith Rowlands, that tells for the first time the full story of this epic adventure. In its preparation all 22 surviving Young Dragons have been interviewed as have the families of the six players who have passed away. Together they tell a fascinating story of the background, adventures and legacy of their two months’ voyage to the other side of the world and their trek round a great rugby country. The book’s publication coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of the Young Dragons’ tour and is published by Daffodil Publishing. It is a ‘must read’ for anyone who is interested in the history of rugby football. The book now available at a special introductory price of £16 (normally priced at £20) for all orders placed before 31st October 2006. Ordering your copy of The Dragons Who Roared is easy, either:-
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