This Sporting Life

"This is actually a book about rugby league, but – like some players of rugby – it can play both codes. This book really goes across both codes, and is about the harshness of the game on the pitch, and how that can relate to life off the pitch as well. It is just a very accurate, gritty representation of how the hero can be expressive on the pitch among men, and much less expressive in the life he’s trying to lead. He breaks his nose in the second paragraph and loses two teeth, which immediately gets you into the book. There’s a film of this with Richard Harris in it. Well, it’s about a rugby league player in the North of England, and it was thought to be a regional novel. In fact, though, it’s a rugby novel, and it has stood the test of time. It’s about this player’s attempt to try and make sense of the world around him with this very limited appreciation of the world through rugby. The fact that it’s rugby league doesn’t really matter; it’s essential for gaining an insight into rugby because however interesting it is on the pitch, however interesting it is to play, there are limitations to the way in which an attitude that succeeds in rugby can succeed in life. Well, the aggression, and the loyalty to your teammates. Unquestioning loyalty is not always a useful quality to have in life. Yes. You have to rely on the other people to do what they’re doing, and you have to be confident that they will be backing you up. In this novel, the hero has an unsuccessful personal life. Look at Will Carling."