The Battle cover art

The Battle

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Battle

By: Paul O'Connell
Narrated by: John Cormack
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Battle by Paul O'Connell, read by John Cormack.

There has never been a rugby player quite like Paul O'Connell. His name is synonymous with passion, heart and determination. But he is also the thinking man's rugby player, a legendary student of the game.

As the heartbeat of Munster, British and Irish Lions captain in 2009, and captain of the first Ireland team to retain the Six Nations championship, O'Connell became the most beloved and respected of the golden generation of Irish rugby players - and was widely regarded as one of the very best players in the world. There was nothing inevitable - or even likely - about any of this, and in an autobiography as intense and thoughtful as its author, O'Connell explores the forces and struggles that turned him into the player and leader that he became. The Battle is a book for everyone who wants to understand the roots of achievement and the inner world of an elite sportsman. It will take its place alongside the very finest sports books of recent years.

 Rugby Sports Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking

Listeners also enjoyed...

 My Autobiography cover art
The Test cover art
Rise: The Brand New Autobiography cover art
The Second Half cover art
Fight or Flight: My Life cover art
Dan Carter: The Autobiography of an All Blacks Legend cover art
Fuel cover art
Ordinary Joe cover art
Straight 8 cover art
Belonging: The Autobiography cover art
Pride and Passion cover art
Loose Head cover art
Champagne Football cover art
Centre Stage cover art
The Extra Mile cover art
My Name'5 Doddie cover art

Critic reviews

The years of O'Connell and O'Driscoll were as close to a golden age as ever Ireland will get and O'Connell's book tells you how it all happened ... It should be mandatory for every Irish squad member to read O'Connell's book to better understand what it takes to make a team (David Walsh)
The intense physicality of his rugby upbringing is an abiding theme ... along with humour, the craic and an extensive knowledge of how teams work (Paul Hayward)
I found The Battle entrancing (Stephen Jones)
Excellent ... [an] eye-opening account of the never-ending battles he fought
Fascinating ... the recollections of life with the British and Irish touring team leap out as highlights
A fascinating insight into what has driven him and how his approach to the game changed over time. The inner tensions of possibly the most intense competitor of his generation are laid bare in The Battle. (Shane Horgan)
Revelatory ... Unflinchingly charts his personal evolution ... He is not at all easy on himself (Keith Duggan)
It is pure O'Connell ... Players and coaches from all sports will have the pencil out, finding nuggets (Kieran Shannon)
Absorbing and compelling ... The O'Connell who dominates this book is the one who becomes fixated on the mentality of champions (Diarmaid Ferriter)
O'Connell has emptied the tank here. ... What has come out ... is a psychological profile that is almost shocking at times in what it reveals about the bloody single-mindedness of the competitive gene
All stars
Most relevant
every young rugby player should read or listen to this to know what it takes

inspiring.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
great insight into Paul's life as a player and a person and his fitness struggle

good

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Thoroughly enjoyable read/listen that showed many sides to a legend on and off the rugby field. Apt title as the battles Paul had at almost every stage of his career were very apparent but testament to the committent and passion of the man…I laughed out loud and cried silently at various stages in the book but found it incredibly enjoyable to listen to that segment of Paul’s career. More to come from this incredible character.

Wonderful Insight

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Paulie was quite simply one of the best players Ireland and Munster have ever seen. Really enjoyed listening to this and the voice acting was brilliant (tho the Northern Ireland accents are a little naff).

You can tell that John Cormack really gave this his all, the emotion was evident in his voice throughout and added to the experience of listening to this book.

Highly recommend it to all rugby fans

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fabulous book. Listened to it on my return journey to Cardiff. Thoroughly recommended. Total Legend

The Battle

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews