Man and Ball: My Autobiography

As hard-hitting, pacy, and entertaining an autobiography as you would expect from a giant of Ulster and Ireland rugby. "When I came into the Ulster team," Stephen Ferris says with typical candor, "we were crap." It was, however, preferable to his day job of paving driveways, and that day in 2005 saw the start of an incredible journey for Ferris, Ulster, and Ireland rugby. A Celtic League title in his very first senior season with Ulster. A Grand Slam in 2009, followed by a sensational Lions breakthrough. A starring role in Ireland's greatest World Cup win, over Australia in 2011, when Ferris famously picked up Will Genia and carried him 10 yards. And leading Ulster from nowhere to the Heineken Cup final. Stephen Ferris had an incredible rugby career, tragically ended by ankle injuries so severe they will never properly heal. He is an inspiration to the population of Ulster, an emblem of the sport that serves as such a positive expression of its culture and identity, and earned the respect and admiration of fans across Ireland for his strength, pace, skill, and courage. Fearless, funny, and full of an incredible array of stories from behind the scenes of Ulster, Ireland, and the Lions, this is the must-have rugby book of the year.