Loose Head: Confessions of an (Un)professional Rugby Player

by Joe Marler

Overview

The Peter Crouch of Rugby, How to Be a Footballer meets Brian Moore's Beware of the Dog The truth about being a rugby player from the horsey's mouth. This book is not just about how a psychiatrist called Humphrey helped me get back on my horse and clippity-clop all the way to the World Cup semi-final in Japan. It's the story of how a fat kid who had to live up to the nickname Psycho grew up to play and party for over a decade with rugby's greatest pros and live weird and wonderful moments both in and out of the scrum. That's why I'm letting you read my diary on my weirdest days. You never know what you're going to get with me. From being locked in a police cell to singing Adele on Jonathan Ross (I'll let you decide which is worse), being kissed by a murderer on the number 51 bus to drug tests where clipboard-wielding men hover inches away from my naked genitalia, melting opponents in rucks, winning tackles, and generally losing blood, sweat and ears in the name of the great sport of rugby. This is how (not) to be a rugby player.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529107531
Publisher:	Penguin Random House UK
Publication date:	09/01/2021
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	362,672
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.75(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Joe Marler is a rugby player who played as a loosehead prop for Harlequins from 2009 to 2019, has won 59 caps for England, and toured New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions in 2017 before joining the Barbarians in 2019. Joe was born in 1991 and his career began in his hometown with Eastbourne RFC. One of the leading loosehead props in international rugby, Joe temporarily retired from the sport in 2018 to spend more time with his wife Daisy and their children only to return with England in the amazing run to the 2019 World Cup final in Japan. This is his first book where he tells his story in and out of the scrum.

Table of Contents

Prologue xi

1 Hair We Go 1

2 Mind Games 21

3 Nicknames 45

4 Injuries 67

5 Drinking 93

6 Team Building 115

7 Red Mist 139

8 Bare Truths 163

9 Image 183

10 Rituals 207

11 Fans 231

12 Mental Health 255

13 On Tour 287

Acknowledgements 305