My Autobiography Book

It's no surprise that Will Carling's autobiography has been talked about more for its coverage of his personal life than for his rugby career. But in all honesty the rugby stuff is actually by far the most interesting part of it. Carling is guarded in the extreme about his relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales, and matter of fact, maybe callously so, about breaking up with the mother of his son. However, when he talks about rugby he is engaging and apparently utterly straightforward. This is the man regarded as "the devil incarnate" by the rugby authorities yet he is also the man who led English rugby to the dominant position--at least in Britain--it holds today. His opinions on the game are genuinely interesting and this book goes some of the way to revealing what makes him tick. The combination of arrogance and doubt--traits he blames on his public school background-- have combined with his natural athletic talent to create a terrific player on the pitch but something of an emotional disaster area off it. Carling has never been a likeable figure and this book doesn't make him one, but it does make his triumphs and his failings both more human and more comprehensible. --Nick WroeRead More