The Battle - Hardcover

O'Connell, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844882233 ISBN 13: 9781844882236

Publisher: Penguin Ireland, 2016

Synopsis

There has never been a rugby player quite like Paul O'Connell. His name 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 retain the Six Nations championship, O'Connell became the most beloved and respected of the golden generation of Irish rugby players - and was widely regarded as one of the very best players in the world. There was nothing inevitable - or even likely - about any of this, and in an autobiography as intense and thoughtful as its author, O'Connell explores the forces and struggles that turned him into the player and leader that he became. The Battle is a book for everyone who wants to understand the roots of achievement and the inner world of an elite sportsman. It will take its place alongside the very finest sports books of recent years.

About this title

About the Author

Paul O'Connell was born in Limerick in 1979. He was selected for three British and Irish Lions tours, including as captain in 2009. He won three Six Nations championships with Ireland, including two as captain, in 2014 and 2015; and he won two Heineken Cups with Munster.

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 ...

From the Inside Flap

Paul O'Connell's name is synonymous with passion, heart and determination. But he was also the thinking man's rugby player, a legendary student of the game. Playing for fifteen years at the highest level, and captaining Munster, Ireland and the Lions, he maintained a remarkably high standard of performance and leadership.

Now, in his frank and vivid autobiography, O'Connell tells the unlikely story of how a kid who quit rugby in his teens became a talisman for club and country, and one of the most respected figures in the international game. This is a book about a career-long battle to be fitter, smarter, better. O'Connell writes about the dark times, when he struggled with injuries and self-doubt. He writes about the dramatic evolution in his approach to mental preparation and leadership. And he writes with wit and warmth about the best times: in the gym and on the road with teammates, and sharing the joy of big victories with family, friends and fans.

The Battle brings us inside the head of the most thoughtful player of his generation, and one of the great personalities of the game. It is a book for everyone who wants to understand a remarkable era in Irish rugby, and for everyone who wants to understand the roots of individual and collective achievement. Intense, honest, moving, funny and uplifting, it will take its place as a classic of sporting autobiography.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Ireland
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1844882233
• ISBN 13: 9781844882236
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 432