Un book necessary for Spanish rugby, and very convenient For anyone interested in sports, gesti�n of groups and in what we could define as ‘management‘ es ‘The Santos Era’created jointly by editor, journalist and seasoned rugby analyst Álvaro by Benito y Santiago Santosten years coach of a XV of Le�n who managed, in practice, to qualify for two World Cups (Japan 2019 and France 2023). Two successes that were achieved and They could not be made effective due to the ill-fated improper alignments.
Benito and Santos reviewed the events and circumstances that accompanied that 10-year development throughout dozens of hours of conversations which have been captured in a 417-page book. A work with many nouns and few adjectives, because many times in order to measure things it is enough to describe them.
Santos makes it clear that his meticulous narration of his vision of ‘his’ era is not a settling of accounts but a statement of reasonsapart from describing the eternal organizational weakness of our rugby and its tendency to confrontation internal. A book did�ctico which explains the intrahistory of a decade in which, despite everything, Spanish rugby creci� y despert� ilusi�n. As Calderón de la Barca’s quote clearly illustrates -“falling should not take away the glory of having risen“- which appears at the beginning.
Santos reviews, in response to De Benito’s questions, the difficulties – sometimes he compared his work with the myth of Sisyphus although “we didn’t always start from scratch either. We always advanced something” -, the �xitos and sporting disappointments, frustrations and the joys -“that we also had successes. In reality we lived a upward spiral“- trying to provide elements of judgment whoever wants to take out conclusions about “the most successful, dramatic and bizarre period of Spanish rugby”, as the book defines those years that were from 2013 to 2023.
Santos declares that he has closed this stage, in which he was also tempted to throw in the towel, “with a clear conscience for a job well done”, a job that has been followed by increase of rugby players, recognition social of sport and the awareness that “it can be done” compete. Álvaro De Benito points out that the book coincides “by 95%” with its initial idea and plan and, of course, it is an x-ray of the state, both sporting and emotional, You could say, about the rugby in which Santos and his team had to live and how the former coach saw and lived it.
With a prologue by Jaime Nava, The book is available at online sale and selected bookstores.
