Brendan Gallagher continues his expert and authorative look at the history of Rugby Union

In the immediate aftermath of World War One Rugby Union hit back in some style with a spectacular King’s Cup competition which in many ways hinted at a World Cup although alas that concept took another 68 years to develop.
While club rugby struggled to overcome the carnage with scores and occasionally hundreds of members failing to return to their clubs from the killing fields of Flanders, the presence of millions of able-bodied allied troops from all four corners of the Empire meant that a ...