For love & money

Back in 1995 the sport of rugby union abruptly turned professional; it was a landmark event brought about by the competing interests from some of the world's largest media moguls determined to generate public interest in subscription-based television by investing millions of dollars in this thrilling spectator sport. The sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board, fought to keep the game amateur. Players, it seemed, should want to play for the love of the game and not for the money. This is the fascinating story of the transition of the game from its 100- year amateur status to that of today's professional game and how competing interests between employer and player fought a battle as vicious as any played out on the sports field to ensure a fair share of the revenue generated by the game.