The revelatory autobiography of a rugby colossus Paul O' Connell WINNER OF THE CROSS SPORTS BOOK AWARDS RUGBY BOOK OF THE YEARThere has never been a rugby player quite like Paul O' Connell He is synonymous with passion heart & determination; but he is also the thinking man's rugby player a legendary student of the game As the heartbeat of Munster British & Irish Lions captain in 2009 & 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 & O' Driscoll were as close to a golden age as ever Ireland will get & 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'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' Hilary A White Irish Independent' The intense physicality of his rugby upbringing is an abiding theme along with humour the craic & 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