In a sport full of characters, Glenn Webbe was one of rugby's most colourful, and a firm favourite with teammates and supporters alike thanks to his infectious personality and love of practical jokes. Born of the Windrush generation, Glenn was the first black player to achieve cult status in Welsh rugby, not least amongst the Brewery Field faithful during a 14-season career with Bridgend in which he rewrote the record books. Although he experienced some racial prejudice during his playing days, which spanned the 1980s and 1990s, he faced it with a humour and dignity which rendered the bigots powerless. Despite a relatively short international career, earning ten caps over three seasons, Glen managed to sample life in the Five Nations, make tours to the South Sea islands and New Zealand as well as experiencing a Rugby World Cup in which he became the first player to score a hattrick of tries in one match. The Gloves Are Off is an often hilarious and always entertaining memoir of one of the stars of the now lost to us first-class game in Wales before the onset of professionalism, when the players turned out as much for the beer and craic as the matches themselves. Book jacket.