Unforgettable

Book excerpt: **Winner of the Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year Award 2023** **Winner of the Rugby Book of the Year Award 2023** **Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2022** 'Powerful, moving' - The Guardian 'A deeply affecting read [...] among the most important ever' - Daily Mail 'So powerful. This book might just change the way you think about sport forever' - Sir Clive Woodward 'As brave as they come' - Gareth Thomas 'Moving and profound' - The Times 'Heartbreaking' - Owen Slot, The Times 'I'm in my early forties. There are days when I don't remember the names of my wife and four kids . . .' RUGBY, DEMENTIA AND THE FIGHT OF MY LIFE 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.