Rugby Stories: ... and other misadventures Paperback – August 28, 2013

A great read for me being the same age, same position, and playing the game during the late sixties through nineties in So Cal. My teams did not usually fare well against UCLA or Santa Monica. Enjoyed the honest descriptions of the darker sides of a lifetime of rugby. My own recollection, Backwards on the Hippie Trail, not as well written.

Fascinating personal history of rugby and great stories. Loved the book. I would recommend it to anyone that loves rugby.

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US Rugby Legend Dave Stephenson has just published his memoir, Rugby Stories and other misadventures. It is for sale online at [...] and I recommend the read because so much of it is focused on Santa Monica's early days which coincided with the resurgence of the Eagles, a team that he and many of the Santa Monica originals populated. I read it in two sittings, only 149 pages. Dave has an easy style that makes it feel like somebody is telling you their life story while you sit by a fire.The story begins in England, where Dave is from, and we follow his early introduction to rugby at Dulwich College where he was a scholarship student. Dave's natural speed, creativity, and ball playing ability made him a rugby stand out. Dave's dad then uprooted the family when Dave was a teenager and brought them to Inglewood, California in the early 60's. The description of LA at that time is worth the read from a historical perspective. In between there was another family move to Darwin, Australian as his dad was ready to try his luck wherever he could secure work, and then back in LA when things didn't pan out. It wasn't easy on the family or Dave.When it was time for college Dave was accepted into Georgetown, but he wasn't able to go for financial reasons and he stayed at home and commuted to UCLA. And that is where it all came together with a band of current UCLA football players (at that time football players were encouraged to play rugby to stay in shape) and others, several expats who already knew the game, including Bobby Thrussell and future SMRC Legendary coach, Ron Nisbet, and many of the other SMRC Originals you can see at the SMRC Hall of Fame site [...]UCLA went on to form the SMRC in 1972 and Dave and his Merry Band continued to dominate rugby in the US through the 70's. They toured with the US Eagles and the California Cougars and they were rock stars wherever they went and partied like it. They played the best teams in Australia and the UK, beat many of them, met the locals and rocked that too.While commitment to rugby came naturally to Dave, commitment in other areas of his life was a work in process and is something that evolved after injury forced Dave's rugby retirement. His pursuits in teaching, photography, business, and love became more focused, but like most of us, Dave continued to fight battles, for him mostly internal and likely a result of his childhood, and at the end you get to know somebody who has finally come to terms with who he is.So there is still hope for the rest of us.Enjoy the read. Stu

Truth be known, I got to play the great game with David Stephenson in the 1970's - what a time for American rugby. So its no wonder that I bought the book and poured through the pages with great fondness. Oh to be young again...Every team David played with from UCLA to Santa Monica to the US Eagles was much better because he was a teacher at heart. He took his rugby wisdom and skills and shared it all with the rest of us. If you ever played in the same back line with David, or played against him, you know exactly what I mean.I didn't think anyone could capture the heart and soul of rugby in the US during that time quite so well - it was fresh, dynamic and magical. Somehow, that wonderful passage will bless the rest of my days. If you weren't in the mix then, there's still hope - buy the book and settle in for a good read because as usual, David shines. He's still a star!

Throughly enjoyed this read it was entertaining informative and humorous. The inside knowledge of the author was facinating. The pace was just right to keep the reader hooked. The words of wisdom intertwinned with the story gave the reader pause for thought. I would not hesitate in recommending this book to essentially sport lovers but non sport lovers would also enjoy this entertaining read.