There are moments when the many, through the few, become one.
At the 2011 Rugby World Cup a young Welsh side captained by the
22-year-old Sam Warburton, captured the imagination of the
rugby-watching world. Exhibiting the grit and brilliance of
generations past, an ill-fated semi-final ended in heartbreak. But a
fledgling squad playing with the familiarity of brothers had sent
out an electrifying message of hope: could this be a third golden
generation of Welsh rugby?
It was with this question hanging in the air that Owen Sheers took
up his position as Writer in Residence for the Welsh Rugby Union.
Calon is the document of a year spent at the heart of Welsh
rugby; the inside story of a 6 Nations campaign that galvanised a
nation and ended in Grand Slam success for the third time in 8 years.
What does rugby mean to Wales? Where does the heart of Welsh rugby
lie? In Calon, Owen Sheers takes a personal journey into a
sport that defines a nation. Drawing on interviews and unprecedented
access with players and WRU coaching staff, Calon presents an
intimate portrait of a national team in the very best tradition of
literary sports writing.
Owen Sheers is novelist, poet, playwright and broadcaster. His
novel Resistance was recently made into a major feature film.
