Rampant Pride: The Lions in Australia 2013 - Hardcover

The first successful tour for the British & Irish Lions since South Africa in 1997 and it all boiled down to a glorious few minutes in the second-half of the third Test. Three marvellous tries put the seal on a memorable four weeks that turned the 2013 tourists into Lions legends. The tour had begun with high expectations but had become a rollercoaster ride.The low of defeat by the Brumbies was followed by a dramatic and nail-biting win in the first Test, as Kurtley Beale slipped in his attempt to kick the wining points for Australia. The Lions then put everything into the second Test to clinch the series but came up short and Leigh Halfpenny's penalty miss in the dying moments summed up a disappointing performance. The stage was set for a grand finale at Sydney and the Lions supporters flooded into the city, building up an incredible atmosphere and lifting their team to one last effort. For 55 minutes the game reflected the fluctuations of the first two Test with Australia fighting their way back to narrow an early Lions lead, but then came the amazing coup-de-grace that sealed a place in history for the 2013 Lions. The forwards had dominated in the set pieces and the breakdown. The Wallabies were finally broken. The Lions backs suddenly came alive and shredded the Australian defence. 41-16, the highest total by the Lions in a Test match and one for the largest margins of victory. No last-minute drama this time. The fans were able to cheer their side home from some way out and the delirious thousands in red rose as one above those in gold when the final whistle blew. Warren Gatland and his coaching team had masterminded a famous victory and the whole touring party shared the moment surrounding Sam Warburton and Alun Wyn Jones as they lifted the Tom Richards Cup. Another memorable chapter had been written in Lions history. Rampant Pride tells the full story of the tour from initial training camp to the celebrations in Sydney. Mick Cleary of The Daily Telegraph describes the onfield performances and also reveals the management's approach to the many injuries, the selection problems that these presented and other difficulties off the pitch. Georgina Robinson of The Sydney Morning Herald reflects on the series from an Australian point of view and the book is brought together by BBC rugby correspondent Ian Robertson. Illustrated throughout with superb action photography by the team from Getty Images, Rampant Pride is the perfect way to re-live the tour for the thousands who travelled with the Lions and the millions of others who watched on television.

Mick Cleary is the rugby union correspondent of The Daily Telegraph.He was co-editor of Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook until it ceased publication in 1999 and also co-editor of the IRB International Rugby Yearbook. He is the author of Pride Restored: The Inside Story of the Lions in South Africa 2009, Blacked Out: The Inside Story of the Lions in New Zealand 2005, Wounded Pride: The Official Book of the Lions Tour to Australia 2001, Scotland's Grand Slam (1990), Carling's Men (1995), The Carling Years (1996) and he combined with Ian McGeechan to write Heroes All: The Official Book of the Lions in South Africa 1997.