Goughy: A Tough Nut to Crack (Y Lolfa/Dufour Editions) is the story of a great journey, a rugby journey to be more precise. It follows Ian Gough through what can be easily be labelled as a roller coaster ride of sport, one that included massive victories and winning hardware as well as big defeats and bitter disappointments. Simply put, Gough’s career wasn’t easy or free of difficult moments.
Gough was there for all the big moments of modern Welsh rugby, seeing scandals, mergers, and a lot of controversy. Some of the controversy was caused by his own comments to the press, which resulted in a long absence from the international game. Other controversial moments were the result of unfair and unjust allegations. One thing is for certain and that is his love and passion for the sport.
We thoroughly enjoyed this autobiography, particularly the approachable nature of the text. It resembles a conversational chat with a friend; Gough treats the reader to an amazing perspective of the players and game around him. He’s honest and personable, an interesting character. Gough is someone you certainly would like to meet and you sort of get to do that with this title.
You’ll hear about his life, things that happened before, during, and after an illustrious career that included nearly 500 appearances, including 64 caps for Wales. It’s an amazing read directly from an amazing player and person. You’ll find that he was quite accomplished in life, not just in rugby,
Our friends at Y Lolfa did it again with this great book. It sure looks like they are becoming a world leader in rugby titles just as they have done with soccer/football.
