Bill Beaumont: The Autobiography

by Bill Beaumont

One of the best lock forwards in the history of the English and Lions' rugby union game, as well as a successful captain, Bill Beaumont's popularity on the field and his appearances on A Question of Sport have made him a household name. This is the light-hearted and amusing life story of a larger-than-life character. A serious head injury forced Bill Beaumont to retire from rugby prematurely at the age of 29, after leading his country 21 times in 34 appearances - including a memorable grand slam in 1980 - and captaining the Lions to South Africa. Since then he has been honoured with an OBE and turned to a career in broadcasting as a BBC and Sky Sports summariser and, more famously, as captain on the sports quiz show A Question of Sport. He is also a raconteur and after-dinner speaker, and recently became chairman of the RFU's National Playing Committee. Bill Beaumont reflects back on a wonderful career, reliving the dramatic events on the field as well as the off-the-field scrapes and humorous escapades that characterized the game in its amateur era.

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 10, 2003