The Rugby Rebellion - The Divide of League and Union is the first book to tell the true history of the most dramatic period in Australian sport - the era that gave birth to rugby league and transformed rugby union.

This remarkable time, when any sportswriter worth his salt would surely have been glad to be alive, is the backdrop for Sean Fagan's brilliantly researched book.

Library and archive hours beyond counting, in which Fagan studied in the finest detail the documentation and media coverage of the times has produced a book of immense value to both codes.

His findings will change our understanding of how League and Union separated in Australia - how professionalism existed in NSW rugby in the late 1890s, Dally Messenger's real role in the uprising, Burdon's 'shoulder injury', the significance of the 'Kangaroos' and 'Wallabies' names, how the Wallabies defected in 1909, the part that British and New Zealand authorities played, and the impact of the 'Lions' tour of 1910.

In its unfolding way, it is a thrilling tale - of an uprising by footy-playing working class blokes, dismayed they were not getting a `fair go' from those who ran their game, and the outcome of that anger. These stunning events of a century ago forever changed our sporting winters.

Already there is a swirl of anticipation and excitement surrounding the book - it is a history book, but it reads like a novel. Ian Heads, the author of many League and Union books has lauded The Rugby Rebellion as "A fabulous sporting story".

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