According to legend and a cursory look at Google, rugby was created in 1823. When William Webb Ellis allegedly picked up the ball, and ran with it, rugby was born. How true this is, we don’t know. But what we can almost guarantee is that no matter how the game started, even after just one day of the sport being invented, some people will have said that it was better in the f***ing old days.

As progressive as rugby has become (both on and off the field) many feel that rugby 'yesterday' was better than rugby today. But do the stats back this up? Do the ill-informed opinions of the book's author back that up? This book examines various aspects of the game, and judges whether rugby’s best days are behind, or ahead of it.

Let the debate commence . . .

Hilarious, off-beat and (surprisingly) insightful, this is the perfect gift for rugby fans all around the world.

Paul Williams is a columnist for the Pro14 website and a regular guest on the Pro14’s Under the Sticks podcast. A once tackle-shy second row, he has a deep love of attacking flair, questionable clothing and low-calorie lager. He lives in Cardiff.