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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Ball games > Rugby football
In 2003, England won the Rugby World Cup. Steve Thompson was there,
in England's front row, at the heart of the match, and at the heart
of the scrum - one of sport's most destructive, repetitive impacts.
But the triumphs came at a cost. When rugby union turned
professional, Steve was plunged into a game where raw power meant
everything. Today, he remembers nothing about playing in that
final. In his words, watching the tape back is like watching a
ghost. The years of hurt in an era of professional meat shields,
and the culture of sucking up punishment and coming back for more,
have taken a terrible toll. Steve has been diagnosed with early
onset dementia, and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy. He
is in his early forties. There are days when he doesn't remember
the names of his wife and four kids. Unforgettable is part sports
memoir - with stories contributed by his world-cup winning
teammates and his former manager, Sir Clive Woodward - and part raw
human storytelling. In it, Steve will make memories for himself and
for his children, and will relive the biggest battle of his life,
with his toughest opponent - his own mind. Despite the constant
reminders of what has been lost, and what is still to lose, Steve's
powerful story is one of hope and courage. Unforgettable stands as
testament to the ultimate strength of the human mind - and to a man
no longer pushing himself to the limit for competition, but for his
own place in the world.
Carwyn James treated rugby football as if it was an art form and
aesthetics part of the coaching manual. This son of a miner, from
Cefneithin in the Gwendraeth Valley, was a cultivated literary
scholar, an accomplished linguist, a teacher, and a would-be
patriot politician, who also won two caps for Wales. He was the
first man to coach any British Lions side to overseas victory, and
still the only one to beat the All Blacks in a series in New
Zealand. That was in 1971, and it was followed in 1972 by the
triumph of his beloved Llanelli against the touring All Blacks at
Stradey Park. These were the high-water marks of a life of
complexity and contradiction. His subsequent and successful career
as broadcaster and journalist and then a return to the game as a
coach in Italy never quite settled his restless nature. After his
sudden death, alone in an Amsterdam hotel, his close friend, the
Pontypridd-born writer, Alun Richards set out through what he
called "A Personal Memoir" to reflect on the enigma that had been
Carwyn.The result, a masterpiece of sports writing, is a reflection
on the connected yet divergent cultural forces which had shaped
both the rugby coach and the author; a dazzling sidestep of an
essay in both social and personal interpretation.
Mike Phillips is one of Welsh rugby's most decorated players. With
multiple Grand Slams and Lions tours under his belt, he was revered
all over the world for his aggressive, in-your-face style of play.
Off the field, his early years were littered with controversy and
scandal as he wrestled with the new-found fame that success
brought. In this brutally honest, tell-all autobiography, Mike
reveals his run-ins with the police on the streets of Cardiff, what
really went on inside the Wales and Lions dressing rooms and the
truth behind that fateful night outside McDonald's, when a scrape
with a bouncer saw him hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons
on the eve of a World Cup training camp. He also discusses the
personal turmoil that, at times, engulfed him and how he was able
to block it all out to become one of the best players in the world.
Phillips opens up about every aspect of his much talked about
career, from the many glorious highs to struggling with fame,
coping with pressure, dealing with rejection and retirement while
ultimately finding personal peace and happiness. He lifts the lids
on his relationship with Warren Gatland and talks about the big
characters in the dressing room, from Sam Warburton to Dan Carter.
Mike Phillips: Half Truths - My Triumphs, My Mistakes, My Untold
Story is a no-holds barred account of a rugby life lived to the
full, revealing the real man behind the legend.
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