This week’s guest is Sunday Independent rugby correspondent, Brendan Fanning.
Brendan has ghostwritten the brilliant new autobiography of Willie Anderson, Crossing the Line, and we talk about some of the stories in the book, including the harrowing tale of how Anderson spent three months in prison and under house arrest in Argentina, having been detained by the military junta.
We also talk of Brendan’s career, of how he began at the Irish Press and landed at the Sunday Indo, via an occasionally mad stint at Vincent Browne’s Sunday Tribune.
Brendan has written an acclaimed book on Irish rugby’s journey to professionalism, From There to Here, and we talk about the influence of the IRFU’s long-serving CEO Philip Browne, and whether everything was more fun in the amateur days.
We also widen our scope to talk about the state of the game internationally, and the existential risk that now faces the sport.
Brendan’s picks were: Stick it Up Your Punter: The Uncut Story of the Sun Newspaper by Chris Horrie, A Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage, Open by Andre Agassi (and JR Moehringer), The Rugby War by Peter Fitzsimons, Confessions of a Rugby Mercenary by John Daniell
Reminder to get in touch with us - email behindthelines@the42.ie, or tweet: @gcooney93.
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