Product Description

As a Premiership, World Cup and Grand Slam winner, no one better embodies the charisma and the colour of English rugby’s greatest era than Lawrence Dallaglio. He has some story to tell, not just of the formidable exploits on the field, but an extraordinary life off it. His only sister, Francesca, was the youngest to perish in the Marchioness disaster on the River Thames. Her death at 19 remains the great sadness of his life. He reveals all about his personal life, the traumas he has faced, his reasons for retiring from and coming back to international rugby. Most controversially, he became captain of his country in 1997 but sensationally resigned 18 months later. In addition to his England exploits, he also led his club Wasps to the summit of European rugby, winning two Heineken Cups and three consecutive English Premiership titles. Full of drama, controversy, great sadness and heart-stopping moments, Lawrence Dallaglio’s story – the last of the great World Cup heroes – is the one every rugby fan has been waiting to read.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10236 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-01
• Binding: Hardcover
• 464 pages

Review

'Uncontrollably frank...A terrific book'

(Daily Telegraph )

'An extraordinary tale...compellingly written'

(Guardian )

'It's top'

(Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear )

'The story of a true English sporting hero, albeit a flawed one for whom tragedy as well as disgrace has been a companion. Pretty much everything is confronted head on, exactly as Dallaglio played'

(Daily Mail )

Synopsis
As a Premiership, World Cup and Grand Slam winner, no one better embodies the charisma and the colour of English rugby's greatest era than Lawrence Dallaglio. He has some story to tell, not just of the formidable exploits on the field, but an extraordinary life off it. His only sister, Francesca, was the youngest to perish in the Marchioness" disaster on the River Thames. Her death at 19 remains the great sadness of his life. He reveals all about his personal life, the traumas he has faced, his reasons for retiring from and coming back to international rugby. Most controversially, he became captain of his country in 1997 but sensationally resigned 18 months later. In addition to his England exploits, he also led his club Wasps to the summit of European rugby, winning two Heineken Cups and three consecutive English Premiership titles. Full of drama, controversy, great sadness and heart-stopping moments, Lawrence Dallaglio's story -- the last of the great World Cup heroes -- is the one every rugby fan has been waiting to read.

About the Author
Lawrence Dallaglio has been a Wasps player all his club career. He signed in 1990 and became captain in 1995, a position he holds to this day. With Wasps he has won a hat-trick of Premiership titles and was also a member of the triumphant England Sevens team which won the World Cup at Murrayfield in 1993. He has captained his country and is regarded as one of the world’s greatest ever back row forwards - he was the only player to play in every minute of every match during the victorious 2003 World Cup campaign. He has won 77 caps for England and 3 Lions caps.

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Customer Reviews

Disappointing
I am a bit amazed by some of the other reviews of this book. I am a big rugby fan and having been given this for Christmas 2007 was looking forward to insightful read of a insiders view of the 2003 rugby build up and how he really found it breaking into the senior game from the junior ranks. It reads like someone desperately trying to remember some of the past and also some of the really big games are brushed over in 1-2 pages if that. the News of the World incident receives many pages more other important events in his life, which quite frankly I would rather read about. All in all disappointing.

Unfinished Business
I think that Lawrence at 35 is perhaps too young to be writing My life and as an old fart myself that still applies.This is my first experience of reading a Sport autobiography so i can't compare as with some other reviewers. I do find the criticism of not opening up entirely to be valid-I am not sure that he is keener to redress imbalances than say it "entirely as it is" as he says. I read it in record time seeing the BIG PRINT as my friend. The potentially overwhelming issue around his sister's death is very well dealt with.It is the small incidents recalled that make that.
I came away from the book thinking that perhaps Lawrence felt that he still had unfinished business and was holding back for a later book?
Regardless of that a great fast read.

In The Blood
This monologue of Dallaglio's career is enjoyable and gives you an insight into the world of professional rugby - from Dallaglio's perspective.

Sometimes moving and written in a conversational style (as if you were talking to the man in a bar), this is an easy book to pick up.

Recommended.