Author: Sexton, Johnny
Number Of Pages: 304
Release Date: 23-09-2013
Details: Review Riveting ... Opens a remarkable window into the stresses, hurts and insecurities of a professional life in rugby (Vincent Hogan Irish Independent) Bracing and fascinating in equal measure (Malachy Clerkin Irish Times) Captures all the jagged edges that make Sexton one of Irish sport's most compelling characters (Sunday Times) It really sets for a great benchmark for sports autobiographies, given that it is so honest (Matt Cooper Today FM) Engrossing (Rugby World Ireland) If you crave an insight into the life of a professional rugby player ... Becoming a Lion is a must (Donal Lenihan Irish Examiner) Intensely revealing (Irish Daily Mail) Product Description Johnny Sexton - the man who pulled the strings for the Lions - gives an intimate insight into the rugby life in Becoming a Lion. As of May 2009, Johnny Sexton was the little-known backup fly-half for Leinster, the chronically underachieving Irish province. But when Felipe Contepomi went down with an injury early in the Heineken Cup semi-final against a dominant Munster team, Sexton came on, nailed a penalty with his first touch of the game, and helped Leinster to a crushing victory. Four years, three Heineken Cups later and one British and Irish Lions tour victory later, Sexton is by some distance the leading fly-half in the northern hemisphere. When the 2013 Lions squad was selected, there was almost universal agreement that Sexton was the most important single player heading to Australia. And over the course of the Lions' first victorious Test series in sixteen years, Sexton was the man pulling the strings. His try in the third test was the decisive blow, and his joyous celebrations after scoring were echoed in homes across Britain and Ireland. Becoming a Lion is an intimate portrait of life at the highest levels of the professional game - at Leinster, with Ireland, and on tour with the Lions. 'Bracing and fascinating in equal measure' Malachy Clerkin, Irish Times 'Riveting ... Opens a remarkable window into the stresses, hurts and insecurities of a professional life in rugby' Vincent Hogan, Irish Independent 'Captures all the jagged edges that make Sexton one of Irish sport's most compelling characters' Sunday Times 'Sets a great benchmark for sports autobiographies, given that it is so honest' Matt Cooper, Today FM 'Engrossing' Rugby World Ireland 'If you crave an insight into the life of a professional rugby player ... Becoming a Lion is a must' Donal Lenihan, Irish Examiner 'Intensely revealing' Irish Daily Mail From the Inside Flap When the 2013 British and Irish Lions squad was selected, there was almost universal agreement that the single the most important player heading to Australia was Johnny Sexton. And over the course of the Lions' first victorious Test series in sixteen years, Sexton was the man pulling the strings. His try in the third Test was the decisive blow, and his joyous celebrations after scoring were echoed in homes across Britain and Ireland. That triumph was the culmination of an extraordinary season for the northern hemisphere's leading fly-half - at Leinster, with Ireland, and on tour with the Lions.. Johnny Sexton kept a diary throughout the season, which was in some ways the most difficult of his career. The result is Becoming a Lion. Sexton brings us into the dressing rooms, onto the training grounds and into the doctors' surgeries. He is frank about his struggles to contain his temper on the pitch, and about his complicated friendships with Brian O'Driscoll and Ronan O'Gara. He tells the story of the protracted and at times emotional drama that led to his decision to sign for Racing Metro. And he describes the unique intensity of a Lions year - the uncertainty as to whether a sequence of injuries in the spring would prevent his selection, the coming together of the squad, the battle to create a workable team over the course of a few weeks, and the Test matches. Thoughtful, opinionated and passionate about rugby, Johnny Sex
EAN: 9781844883165
Languages: English
Binding: Hardcover
Item Note: Signed by Johnny Sexton.
Item Condition: CollectibleVeryGood