The Battle

The years of O'Connell and O'Driscoll were as close to a golden age as ever Ireland will get and 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 * The intense physicality of his rugby upbringing is an abiding theme ... along with humour, the craic and 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 * Fascinating ... the recollections of life with the British and Irish touring team leap out as highlights * Daily Mail * A fascinating insight into what has driven him and how his approach to the game changed over time. The inner tensions of possibly the most intense competitor of his generation are laid bare in The Battle. -- Shane Horgan * Sunday Times * Revelatory ... Unflinchingly charts his personal evolution ... He is not at all easy on himself -- Keith Duggan * Irish Times * It is pure O'Connell ... Players and coaches from all sports will have the pencil out, finding nuggets -- Kieran Shannon * Irish Examiner * Absorbing and compelling ... The O'Connell who dominates this book is the one who becomes fixated on the mentality of champions -- Diarmaid Ferriter * Irish 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 * Irish Independent *