Belonging: The Autobiography

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Always big for his age, rugby suited him down to the ground and it wasn’t long before he thought wistfully of emulating the likes of Ieuan Evans and Scott Quinnell, whose posters he had up in his bedroom. And his face burned with embarrassment when, a week after that 2019 Slam, he and wife Anwen received a standing ovation from fellow diners when they popped out for a meal in Mumbles.

Feeling the bond to the great players not long gone, and feeling the ties to the millions in front rooms and pubs across the hillsides and the valleys, coast to coast.

A good, gentle read providing a fairly candid insight into the mind of Alun Wyn Jones and his dedication to the game of rugby, to Wales, the thrill of Lions rugby and, probably most significantly, the character of Warren Gatland. In March 2009 against Italy he captained the Welsh side for the first time before being selected on the 2009 Lions Tour of South Africa. He’s made 23 consecutive starts against England yet there is no rabid satisfaction in beating the auld enemy, he doesn’t get swept up in any racist nonsense.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Throughout the text, he extols his gratitude for the support of his wife, Anwen, and children, his Mum and Dad and his Welsh-speaking maternal grandmother. It takes so much dedication and commitment to make it to the top, and his sustained success is super impressive and inspiring! AWJ plays his cards to his chest - sure he can be honest, brutally so at times (he can be selfish for example) but you never get the impression that you’ve been given a full account.

The authors engage the reader with an insightful, honest and emotionally challenging text that addresses the personal drive, support of family, players and coaches as well as dilemmas of a personal nature.

Born in Swansea, AWJ made his test debut for Wales in June 2006 against Argentina, and came to prominence in the 2007 campaign before Wales won the Grand Slam in 2008. He has a healthy disregard for ‘culture’ – all you need to know is be honest with each other, treat people well, live your values, he says – and if anything shuns the spotlight even more when adulation comes his way.Brilliant, Alun Wyn Jones is always such an enigma, so it was was really interesting to get insight in to his life and how he views rugby. From the tightness in your stomach to the look on your team-mates’ faces, the adrenaline starting to flow within. It promotes real insight into the personal drive and determination that have developed an exceptional rugby player and leader. This section on “ hunan hyder” (self-belief) has excellent discourse on issues such as how you react to being subbed. At Ospreys he would bug Lyn Jones on Monday mornings for a one-to-one review of his performance at the weekend.