Year That Was : Rugby League 2006

2006 was a momentous year for Kiwi rugby league - the year Kiwis started as World Champions and ended as heroes. While they lost once again to their arch rivals, the Kangaroos, it was only by a golden try after fulltime, and one of the most heroic performances ever seen in the game.It was also the year that saw the retirement from the international game of some of our greatest players: the Little General, Stacey Jones, legendary Kiwi Captain Rueben Wiki, our highest test try scorer, Nigel Vagana, and Warrior and Kiwi stalwart Awen Guttenbiel.There were setbacks and mishaps, from Nathan Fien's ancestral difficulties to the notorious salary cap breach, but there through thick and thin was Peter Leitch, the Mad Butcher, who as Kiwi Team manager, takes us behind the scenes and lets the players tell you about their year - the highs, the lows and the aroha that kept them strong. With test reviews, amazing photos, personal tributes and career summaries, all the stats you'd ever want to know for the fanatic and the fan alike.A book for the whole family and a superb record of a valiant year, when we saw our boys put their bodies on the line in a nail-biting finish no one who saw the game will ever forget.Leitch, Peter is the author of 'Year That Was : Rugby League 2006', published 2007 under ISBN 9781869506674 and ISBN 1869506677.