I grew up with them being the undisputed world champs - they dominated for 20 years - and I've often wondered how a non-unitary collection of islands with such a small population (of Test-playing nations, larger only than New Zealand at a current level of about 6 million) produced such an outstanding team. On their decline, Wiki mentions not moving into the era of professionalism coupled with economic decline, but that doesn't really explain how such a great pool of players came from such a limited population over a sustained period. Does anyone have any better knowledge, or know of any specific books/writers on it?