The Only Way I Know

The Autobiography

By: Andy Farrell

Narrated by: Dean Williamson

Brought to you by Penguin.

At the age of 16, a boy amongst men, Andy Farrell made his first-team debut for Wigan Warriors – and became a father for the first time. At 18, he won his first senior international cap. At 21, he won his first Man of Steel Award for the Super League player of the year. He went on to win the Golden Boot award for world player of the year.

All of that on its own would have been enough to make him a sporting legend – and none of it even hinted at the fascinating second chapter of his sporting life, as a rugby union player with Saracens and England, or the third chapter, as a highly successful and beloved union coach. Under his leadership, Ireland have played a brilliant brand of rugby combining precision and freedom, and have been consistently ranked either number 1 or number 2 in the world.

Warm, thoughtful and passionate, Andy Farrell is not just a brilliant rugby man: he is a fascinating human being. His autobiography brings us back to his childhood in Wigan, when he made a meteoric ascent to the highest levels of rugby league; and to the extraordinary moment when, aged 15, he and his girlfriend Colleen – now his wife – learned they were going to have a baby. He writes about his ambitious attempt to remake himself as a rugby union player in his thirties. He writes about his remarkable relationship with his first child, Owen – who has gone on to become a legend of English rugby – and about the importance of family in his life. And he traces the journey that has led to him become one of rugby's most successful coaches, explaining what he has learned about leadership along the way.

© Andy Farrell 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critic reviews

A terrific book (Brendan O'Connor)

A likeable book about a likeable man. You’ll enjoy it.

An absorbing insight into the mind of a leader