Dark Blue Blood

Scottish rugby has a long and glorious history, great players, great games, great memories. The progress of “the game they play in heaven” has been photographed all the way along its journey, and it is those photos that author Steve Finan has rooted out from dusty newspaper and magazine archives, and various other collections — photos not seen for 40 or 50 years. Squarely aimed at the sports nostalgia market, the book contains around 200 photos of team line-ups, action shots, spectators, Sevens tournaments, and the grounds where the game was played. Readers will recognise the men on the field, remember the games they strived so hard in, and very probably see themselves among the crowds. Great care has been taken to show the game at all levels, from the world record crowd-setting Scotland-Wales match of 1975, to fun-in-the-sun Sevens tournaments on the summer circuit, and Orkney RFC anniversary celebrations. It’s all here. The All Blacks tours are shown (the Haka looks just the same set against a backdrop of Aberdeen multi-storey flats as it does in a World Cup Final). The greats of the past are highlighted, as well as the weekend club rugger lads. This is Scottish rugby.