Lace Group

It will be remembered as one of the great test series in rugby history, as the British and Irish Lions came within millimetres of defeating World Champions South Africa on their own turf.

In the land of the big game hunter, this was one that got away, just! Three pulsating Test matches of ferocious intensity, compelling and controversial at almost every turn.

Ian McGeechana's heroic squad were decimated by injuries throughout the tour but still claimed a magnificent final Test win in the Springboks's Ellis Park fortress.

The first Test in Durban was lost 26-21 despite a stirring late comeback. The Lions had to win in Pretoria and did everything in their power in a brutal but breathtaking collision. Rob Kearney's early try and Stephen Jones' faultless kicking carried the tourists to the cusp of a magnificent triumph - only for Lion hearts to be broken in the final seconds by the long range boot of the nerveless Morne Steyn.

Paul O'Connell's side regrouped and responded emphatically in Johannesburg, thrashing the Boks 26-9, scoring three tries to none. The series was lost but the performance said everything about this pride of Lions. With action from every game of the tour, extended highlights of the first two Tests plus a bonus disc of the extraordinary final Test match in full - this is the Lions in South Africa 2009.