Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844882233 ISBN 13: 9781844882236

Publisher: Penguin Ireland, 2016

The revelatory autobiography of a rugby colossus: Paul O'Connell

There has never been a rugby player quite like Paul O'Connell. He is synonymous with passion, heart and determination; but he is also the thinking man's rugby player, a legendary student of the game.

As the heartbeat of Munster, British and Irish Lions captain in 2009, and captain of the first Ireland team to defend a Six Nations championship, O'Connell has emerged as perhaps the most beloved of the golden generation of Irish rugby players. In an autobiography as intense as its author, he tells the story of his remarkable career.

'The years of O'Connell and O'Driscoll were as close to a golden age as ever Ireland will get and O'Connell's book tells you how it all happened ... It should be mandatory for every Irish squad member to read O'Connell's book to better understand what it takes to make a team' David Walsh, Sunday Times

'The intense physicality of his rugby upbringing is an abiding theme ... along with humour, the craic and an extensive knowledge of how teams work' Paul Hayward, Daily Telegraph

'I found The Battle entrancing' Stephen Jones, Sunday Times

'Excellent ... [an] eye-opening account of the never-ending battles he fought' Rugby World

'Revelatory ... Unflinchingly charts his personal evolution ... He is not at all easy on himself' Keith Duggan, Irish Times

Review:

The years of O'Connell and O'Driscoll were as close to a golden age as ever Ireland will get and O'Connell's book tells you how it all happened ... It should be mandatory for every Irish squad member to read O'Connell's book to better understand what it takes to make a team (David Walsh Sunday Times)

The intense physicality of his rugby upbringing is an abiding theme ... along with humour, the craic and an extensive knowledge of how teams work (Paul Hayward Daily Telegraph)

I found The Battle entrancing (Stephen Jones Sunday Times)

Excellent ... [an] eye-opening account of the never-ending battles he fought (Rugby World)

Fascinating ... the recollections of life with the British and Irish touring team leap out as highlights (Daily Mail)

A fascinating insight into what has driven him and how his approach to the game changed over time. The inner tensions of possibly the most intense competitor of his generation are laid bare in The Battle. (Shane Horgan Sunday Times)

Revelatory ... Unflinchingly charts his personal evolution ... He is not at all easy on himself (Keith Duggan Irish Times)

It is pure O'Connell ... Players and coaches from all sports will have the pencil out, finding nuggets (Kieran Shannon Irish Examiner)

Absorbing and compelling ... The O'Connell who dominates this book is the one who becomes fixated on the mentality of champions (Diarmaid Ferriter Irish Times)

O'Connell has emptied the tank here. ... What has come out ... is a psychological profile that is almost shocking at times in what it reveals about the bloody single-mindedness of the competitive gene (Irish Independent)

A fantastic book (Sean O'Rourke RTE Radio One)

He is a standard-bearer for the country and someone whose principles, moral compass, ideals and heroic virtue make us wish our children would aspire to be someone like him (Neil Francis Sunday Independent)

An exceptional book ... tremendously honest (Matt Cooper Today FM)

Engaging, honest and insightful. Terrific (Ryle Nugent)

Honest, fair and devoid of self-pity ... reflects on his life without a shred of hypocrisy or recrimination (Paul Rees Observer)

A stunning achievement (Irish Mail on Sunday)

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} Provides many revealing insights into the mind of a born winner (Sunday Business Post)

Brilliant, bruising (Donal Ryan Sunday Independent)

From the Back Cover:

I remember sitting alongside him in the front seat of his car as we drove home, thinking: I'm someone who wins things. If Dad thinks I'm good, then I must be.
It's strange, the way things said decades ago stick in your head, the way a few words you hear as an impressionable child can stay with you for the rest of your life ...