Publisher's Synopsis
In Iestyn Harris: There and Back, Welsh rugby internationalist Iestyn Harris tells his remarkable story for the first time. Harris is the first man to play rugby league and international rugby league, then switch to playing rugby union and international rugby union, before returning again to rugby league.
Born and raised in Oldham, Harris was signed by Warrington in 1992 at the age of 16 and he quickly established himself as a rising star. From there, he went from strength to strength and played in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. In 1997, he transferred to Leeds Rhinos for a massive fee of £375,000 and became the cornerstone of the Leeds revival. In 1998, he was voted Players' Player of the Season at Leeds after breaking the Rhinos' points record. The following year, at 23, Harris captained Leeds to a Challenge Cup final win, a victory which gave them their first major trophy in 30 years.
The new millennium saw Harris named as captain of the Wales national team before he decided to play rugby union with Cardiff in 2001. Around that time, Clive Woodward repeatedly offered Harris a place in the England side but Harris has always been very conscious of his Welsh roots - his grandfather was Welsh - and he was not to be swayed. Within a month, he was playing for Graham Henry's Welsh international side and over the following years he proved a key player in the revival of the Welsh union team. This culminated in their strong performance in the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup in Australia, where they finally lost to eventual winners England.
In 2004, Harris returned to rugby league, joining Bradford Bulls. Despite returning halfway through the season, he made an immediate impact and the Bulls reached the Grand Final at Old Trafford. Harris was also part of the Great Britain team that pushed Australia hard until the final of the hugely successful Tri-Nations tournament.
Now Iestyn is at his prime and full of ambition for the Bulls and Great Britain. In Iestyn Harris: There and Back, he charts his varied and often controversial playing career, revealing the motives behind the decisions he has made.
