This book critically examines how rugby union has developed in recent years, in nations on the periphery of the sport. Focusing on people and places on the fringes, it examines contemporary issues and challenges within the global game.

John Harris is Associate Dean Research in the Glasgow School for Business and Society at Glasgow Caledonian University, UK.

Nicholas Wise is Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Event Management at Liverpool John Moores University, UK.

1. Japan 2019 and the internationalisation of rugby union 2. Challenging the core: the rise of Argentina in international rugby 3. Against all odds: Fijiana's flight from zero to hero in the Rugby World Cup 4. From past to present: is there room for professional rugby in the United States of America? 5. Struggling for recognition: developing rugby union in Lebanon 6. 'Moufflons' living precariously: the brief history of rugby union in Cyprus 7. Rugby and sport development in Brazil: from peripheral to centre stage 8. Rugby beyond the core in Africa 9. Rugby towards 2030