'Beard has some previous form in the area of rubbish sport: his Muddied Oafs, published three years ago, is one of the funniest rugby books you will find. He retains his comic form on his Australian quest . . . Beard and his Manly pursuits clearly saved England in 2005. Where the bloody hell is he now?'
Andrew Baker, Daily Telegraph

'I'm not sure he found what he wanted, but he had plenty of fun not finding it.'
Independent Best Sports Books for Christmas

'Because Beard is a writer rather than a sportsman, it's actually a fne read, combining social history with humour, travelogue with sports biog ... Perfect for when we're struggling at the MCG.'
London Evening Standard

'Despite being written by a Pom, it's (whisper it) a hilarious and thoughtful book.'
Time Out

'peculiarly English . . . going to Australia to take on the locals at sports . . . Beard does this with dry humour and aplomb.'
Irish Times

'An extremely funny part-travelogue, part-self discovery and part-investigation into how the 53rd most populous country became world beaters.'
GQ