Union: The Heart of Rugby is an epic international portrait of rugby through the lenses of the world's great rugby photographers. Conceived to celebrate the true heart and soul of rugby around the world, Union will be both a stunning large-format book and exhibition. Launched in spectacular style in September 2011, it is the book rugby fans worldwide have been waiting for and will be a landmark in the history of rugby publishing.

The Union collection of images will be the result of an international search designed to involve the highest echelon of award-winning rugby photographers and will be edited by legendary sports photographer, Neil Leifer. The final collection will comprise 150 original and evocative images drawn from many thousands.

Complementing the images is an original text by author Paul Thomas that explores the eight core creeds that underpin the sport – pride, team, friendship, courage, passion, heroes, pain and glory – and based on interviews with five of the game's greatest players from New Zealand, Australia, France, South Africa and England: John Kirwan, Nick Farr-Jones, Phillipe Sella, Joel Stransky and Martin Johnson.