The All Blacks’ triumphant coach Graham Henry may have retired, but he’s got one team talk still to deliver — to rugby followers worldwide. It will come in the form of his biography, which is due to be published in August 2012.
The biography will focus on the many exciting turning points in Henry’s career: his time coaching the Welsh team where he became known as ‘The Great Redeemer’ for guiding his team to 11 consecutive victories; the controversial 2001 Lions tour of Australia with Henry as their coach; challenging John Mitchell for the All Blacks coaching position after their semi-final loss to Australia in the 2003 World Cup; the disappointment of the 2007 World Cup and the ultimately triumphant campaign to bring the Webb Ellis Cup back to New Zealand in 2011.
‘It’s a pleasure to be able to discuss the enormous emotional ups and downs I experienced over the last eight years as All Blacks coach,’ Graham Henry commented upon signing the contract. ‘It’s stimulating and challenging recalling the intricacies of your own mind, relevant to those great battles at the Rugby World Cups of 2007 and 2011, those games proving there is a very fine line between ecstasy and depression. It’s also a great pleasure and privilege to talk about the many outstanding young men who have represented the All Blacks during that time. I’m very keen to ensure this book is something that I’m proud of and is a stimulating read for people in all walks of life.’
Graham Henry’s new book re-unites the team who worked on his hugely successful first book, The X Factor, published in 1999. Bob Howitt, author of 19 books on rugby, the most recent being the bestselling—Black Where it Belongs, celebrating the All Blacks’ World Cup win, is assisting Henry in researching and writing, while Bill Honeybone, the publisher responsible for the first book, secured the as yet untitled memoir for HarperCollins New Zealand.
‘We at HarperCollins are enormously proud that Graham Henry has chosen us to publish his memoir. His transformation of the All Blacks into the world-beating team it is today will go down in history as one of this country’s most significant coaching achievements,’ says Tony Fisk, Managing Director, HarperCollins New Zealand. ‘We see Graham Henry’s story as being of huge interest not only to the legions of All Black fans but also to the followers of the sport of rugby around the world and those interested in outstanding leadership at the highest levels. This book will be a landmark publication in world terms.’