DVD review: The Lions 2009: Living with the Pride

THE video diary of the British and Irish Lions' rugby tour to South Africa, Living with Lions, was hailed as a milestone in raw, warts-and-all behind-the-scenes footage of a major sporting event, and looked to have launched a catalogue of great Lions showcases for may tours to come.

However, the next couple of tours, in 2001 and 2005, never came up to the mark, with media restrictions, poor rugby, and seemingly less-than-inspiring team spirit among the tour party putting a bit of a wet blanket on proceedings.

Now, though, the Lions are back on DVD with a roar.

The 2009 vintage, captured on this double DVD package packs a raw emotional punch mixed in with plenty of humour along the way to a finale which can hardly fail to move any sports fan, let alone rugby supporters.

If anything, Living with the Pride is better than Living with Lions — except for the test series result in South Africa, of course.

From the pre-tour training camp to the final test, head coach Ian McGeechan and his team have worked closely with the film crew to produce a compelling documentary.

The film-makers had access to every player and backroom staff member, management and selection meeting and training session, giving an insight into the joy of winning, the pain of defeat and injury, and a close look at the personalities of some household names from the world of rugby.

For Welsh fans, there's plenty to enjoy, including a star turn off the pitch from Cardiff Blues' Andy Powell, who turns out to be tour's main joker, while Ospreys fans can enjoy Tommy Bowe's roving reporter stint, among a host of other entertaining cameos.

The DVD is out now to buy in a two-disc set.