And other content to keep you entertained ahead of the Test series
British & Irish Lions Documentaries
There may be no more midweek matches on this year’s tour, but there are still plenty of ways to get your British & Irish Lions fix ahead of the Test series in South Africa.
From podcasts to documentaries (and, of course, Rugby World magazine), we round up the best Lions content…
Documentaries
There’s only one place to start when it comes to British & Irish Lions documentaries and that’s Living With Lions, the famous behind-the-scenes film from the 1997 tour to South Africa.
And the good news is it’s currently available to watch via All4 – Channel 4’s on-demand service.
Head to All4’s Lions Tour 2021 hub and you’ll also find the documentaries from the 2001, 2005 and 2009 tours as well as highlights from all of the Lions 2021 matches.
You can still relive some of the most iconic moments in @lionsofficial history ?
Watch the official Lions films on @All4 now ? https://t.co/L45yXWv3cl #LionsRugby | #Lions | @VodafoneUK pic.twitter.com/NGfrOFwxpK
— Channel 4 Sport (@C4Sport) July 19, 2021
If you’d rather a more traditional format, Living With Lions is available on DVD from Amazon for £12.29.
Sky Sports, who have the rights to show all this year’s tour matches live, also has plenty of Lions content on its new dedicated channel.
Sky Sports The Lions features replays of matches from this year’s tour, the Chasing the Sun documentary on South Africa’s 2019 World Cup win as well as previous Lions docs too. For example, at 10pm on Thursday 22 July you can watch Living with the Pride, which follows the 2009 tour to South Africa.
Sky TV and Sports packages are available from £45 a month.
Podcasts
Another way to relive the Lions’ 1997 triumph is with Inside The Tour. The podcast, hosted by Alastair Eykyn, features players and coaches from that trip to South Africa 24 years ago recounting their memories.
From the training to the Tests, those who were there give a real insight into the tour over the ten-episode series.
The players had gone through the mill in training, and across several warm-up games, but even that couldn't prepare them for just how tough the @Springboks would be. Here's the story of the first Test match, from those who were there.
Listen here: https://t.co/qoXQdZASnU pic.twitter.com/PIEx8wl3yp
— Inside the Tour (@InsideTourPod) July 14, 2021
Sam Warburton, the captain on the 2013 and 2017 tours, also has his own podcast series. In Warburton’s Lions Legends, which is available on BBC Sounds, the back-rower interviews four famous tourists – Sir Gareth Edwards, Gavin Hastings, Martin Johnson and Paul O’Connell.
For all the latest Lions news and views, there’s the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly as well as The Ruck, which features journalists from The Times and The Sunday Times on the ground in South Africa.
Reading Material
The story of the 1997 tour has also been told in the book This Is Your Everest (RRP £17.99), by Tom English and Peter Burns. Not only does it have the Lions’ perspective, but also that of the Springboks.
For more historical reflections on British & Irish tourists, check out Legends of the Lions. The 132-page bookazine (£12.99) from the makers of Rugby World features a rundown of the 50 greatest Lions players of all time as well as a look behind the scenes of the 2017 tour to New Zealand.
The latest issue of Rugby World magazine is also the perfect accompaniment to the 2021 Test series.
The August 2021 edition of features in-depth analysis of the key battlegrounds in the Springboks v Lions matches as well as a look at the Lions past, present and future.
Can’t get to the shops? You can download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door.
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