The Hurt: The Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year

Description

From the former England rugby captain, a story of hard men and harsh truths 'Rugby is great for the soul,' he writes, 'but terrible for the body.' Rugby hurts. It demands mental resilience and resistance to pain. It explores character, beyond a capacity to endure punishment. Dylan Hartley, one of England's most successful captains, tells a story of hard men and harsh truths. From the sixteen-year-old Kiwi who travelled alone to England, to the winner of ninety-seven international caps, he describes with brutal clarity the sport's increasing demand on players and the toll it takes on their mental health, as well as the untimely injury that shattered his dreams of leading England in the 2019 World Cup. The Hurt is rugby in the raw, a unique insight into the price of sporting obsession.

Dylan Hartley is a New Zealand-born English rugby union player who played at hooker for Northampton Saints. He was the captain of England from January 2016 until the end of his international career in 2018 and is the country's most capped hooker of all time, earning his first cap in 2008. Dylan captained England to the Grand Slam in 2016, the first time that England had done this since 2003, and to a 3-0 series win in the 2016 Cook Cup against Australia. He retired from rugby in 2019.

One of the best rugby books for years ... Unswervingly honest * The Best Sporting Reads for Christmas, The Times * Few have had more twists and turns in a pro rugby career than the now-retired Dylan Hartley. Never a one dimensional character on or off the field and led England to some famous wins. -- Robert Kitson Anyone wanting to understand England under the coaches Martin Johnson, Stuart Lancaster and Eddie Jones, as well as the mental and physical strains professional rugby take on its players, should start here -- Sports Book of the Year * Sunday Times * Anyone who cares about the game, in which he won 97 caps for England and played 250 times for Northampton, should read Hartley's book -- Don McRae * Guardian * Forthright and striking * Guardian * Fascinating ... No one should underestimate his impact * Rugby World *