Centre Stage

Roberts, Jamie

£20.00

A Lions Man of the Series, a double Grand Slam winner, a Six Nations Champion, a World Cup semi-finalist, and for a time, the best in the world in his position. Jamie Roberts is just three caps short of a century of international appearances. All of this was achieved while studying for four degrees (including a medical degree); something his coaches told him was impossible to pull off. There are dreamers in life, and there are doers. Jamie Roberts had big dreams, and he’s realised them all. This is his fascinating, honest and uncompromising story.

Out of stock

Publish Date: 11/11/2021

Description

In a nation of rugby heroes, Jamie Roberts has become a legend.

Jamie Roberts is your quintessential hard man: a 6 foot 4, 17 stone slab of rippling muscle, conditioned to run hard into other huge men in an arena where physical dominance is the prime currency. Yet away from rugby, he’s a mild-mannered and thoughtful man – a qualified doctor with a thirst for knowledge and a curiosity about the world around him. It’s an intriguing contradiction.

In his first full season with the Cardiff Blues he was picked by new Wales coach Warren Gatland in the Grand Slam-winning side of 2008. He was still establishing his position in the national team when he toured with the 2009 Lions, emerging as Player of the Series. He went on to win 97 Test caps and play for clubs in Paris, London and Cape Town, yet his career has seldom been straightforward.

A fractured skull was one of many injuries he had to overcome, and from the start he had to juggle the competing demands of university life and professional rugby. The joy of Six Nations success with Wales was balanced by heartbreak in the World Cup and disappointment against southern-hemisphere teams, while major trophies at club level proved frustratingly elusive.

In this colourful and frank account of a sterling career, Jamie Roberts reveals all about life on tour, in boot camps and in dressing rooms filled with once-in-a-generation characters such as Mike Phillips, Andy Powell, Shaun Edwards, Martyn Williams, Brian O’Driscoll and Johnny Sexton. He also shares his views on concussion in rugby, the failings of the professional structure in Wales and the vital role of old-school team-bonding.

Additional information

Weight 580 g
Dimensions 236 × 160 × 36 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Hardback

Pages

320

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

796.333092 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K