Product Description

Josh Lewsey is one of the most successful English rugby players of all time. He has won every trophy in the sport at both national and international level and is renowned for his unconventionally broad interests and achievements. Outside the game, Josh is a university graduate in both Physiology and Law, a former Army Officer and has a love for adventure (he even trekked to K2 during one summer off). These achievements are a mark of his drive, passion and energy, and his will to make the most of life both on and off the field. In this intelligent, self-effacing and humorous account of his life so far, Josh speaks about his time at Wasps and as a member of the England team, including the World Cup winning team of 2003, as well as his many other experiences, and shares some of the lessons he has learned along the way. It is a unique look at life at the top of professional sport and a fascinating insight into the characters and relationships that make up the world of professional rugby.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7869 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Review
A great book, especially because Josh has written it in his own words
--Sir Clive Woodward

About the Author
Owen Joshua Lewsey was born in 1976 in England, from Welsh blood. In addition to being one of the world's best rugby players and a test British Lion, he holds a Physiology degree from Bristol University, a post-graduate degree in Law and has served as a commissioned officer in the British Army. He left the military in 2002 to concentrate wholly on rugby, and was awarded an MBE one year later for his role in the triumphant 2003 World Cup.

Customer Reviews

How refreshing - a sports autobiography actually written by its author
I've always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with sports autobiographies: I buy lots of them and they are almost invariably diabolical.

One of the reasons is that they are all amost exactly the same. You could use a computer template to generate around 95% of the book and then just replace the names, the teams and the sport. Another is that they are generally ghost-written and, even when the ghost-writer is very good (say, Hunter Davies), the finished book is usually woeful (say, Wayne Rooney's). The only good ones are where the subject has very strong opinions and is not afraid to express them, as is the case here.

Not since Tony Cascarino's Full Time have I read a book from this genre where the author was unafraid to tell it like it is. I do not agree with some of Josh Lewsey's views but they are always expressed eloquently and compellingly. I do not even know much about rugby (football's my thing), but everyone remembers England winning the World Cup in 2003 and Josh was part of that. The sections about that tournament (the preparation, the setbacks, the ultimate elation) could translate to being about any kind of sporting success and make for fascinating reading, but the more personal stuff is interesting too (a spirited defense of fox hunting, for example, is written with insight and self-awareness, whatever your own views on the subject may be).

Intelligent, personal and real, Josh writes with humour and humanity - all qualities I thought were long dead in this strain of writing.

Josh in his own words
In addition to being one of the best, Josh Lewsey is among the more interesting of professional rugby players in that he has more than one string to his bow. As well as having been a member of the English world cup team and won many medals with Wasps, he is a university graduate in both Physiology and Law, and has also been an army officer. To add to this, he has written this autobiography himself. In it, Lewsey comes across as a person of high personal standards and integrity, and as such, whilst he describes his own background and the varied approach of the players and officials he has come across in his career, he does not indulge in too much gossip. The book is timely in that he has already finished with international rugby, and will be retiring altogether at the end of this season. The action photographs remind us how much we shall miss him.

A Little Disappointing
A little disappointed by this book I must admit.
Having read numerous biographies/auto biographies by many england players I was left wanting with this offering.
I found the book to be 'lacking' and although certain chapters were entertaining and insightful I found myself wishing I could skip the current chapter that I was reading in the hope the next was a little better and wasn't as full of waffle and repeated phrases.

All in all a 'must' read for any england fan, however don't hold your breath for the magic of Robinson or the Heart of Leonard. Unfortunately it just doesnt compare. A shame as I was expecting more from in my opinion, one of the best to ever wear an England shirt.