The Hurt: The Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year

Dylan Hartley's book offers a frank, occasionally brutal, account of life at the highest level of elite sport. Despite my reservations about rugby as a spectacle, I found this book very interesting. Despite my reservations about some aspects of the author's career profile, I found his reflections both candid and engrossing. In a successful collaboration with Michael Calvin, Dylan Hartley reveals some of the harsher realities of high performance sport and also shines a light on the innovative, demanding style of coaching adopted by Eddie Jones.

This experience says it all about elite sport if you’re at 90% fitness you’re dead in the water

Dylan gives a real insight into the physicality of the game and what the consequences can be and are. An inspiring story of his journey to the top of the profession.

...and honest account of how these guys put their bodies on the line for our entertainment and club/national pride. No biog is ever going to be word perfect, but as a bunch of observations and experiences, Dylan’s seems a very honest account. Those criticising should think about the atrocious mis-match with premier league footballers who roll around in agony when they trip over their own boot laces (that someone else has had to tie for them) and get obscene amounts of cash for doing so....

Good read. Some say it's depressing but to me just seems honest. Plenty lighthearted moments in there too and a great account of rugby and life from an England captain who joined the professional game before the full adoption of professional practices.