Rugby Book of the Year

This award is for the best (in the judge’s opinion) non-fiction book related to rugby of the Year.

WINNER 2023

Unforgettable : rugby, dementia and the fight of my life

Thompson, Steve ISBN: 9781788705943
Paperback / softback

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'I'm in my early forties. There are days when I don't remember the names of my wife and four kids . . .'

In 2003, England won the Rugby World Cup. Steve Thompson was in England's front row, at the heart of the match, and at the heart of the scrum - one of sport's most violent battlegrounds. But triumph came at a cost. Today, he remembers nothing about playing in that final. In his words, watching the tape back is like watching a ghost. The years of hurt, and the culture of sucking up punishment and coming back for more, have taken a terrible toll. Steve has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, and serious progressive brain damage. Steve and his wife Steph had a happy family life planned, with decades ahead of them. Now he needs to capture these elusive memories for the sake of his children, before they disappear forever. With stories contributed by his world-cup winning teammates and his former manager, Sir Clive Woodward, Unforgettable is raw, powerful storytelling.

This tale of hope and courage stands as testament to the ultimate strength of the human mind - and to a man no longer pushing himself to the limit for competition, but for his own place in the world.

- Browns Books Synopsis