This is Your Everest: The Lions, The Springboks and the Epic Tour of 1997

(Paperback, New in Paperback)

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**Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year**

'Magnificent' Owen Slot, The Times

The 1997 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa is one of the most iconic in rugby history. Written off at home and abroad, Martin Johnson's men were given no hope of success against the world champion Springboks in their own backyard. But a combination of brilliant coaching, astute selections and outstanding players laid the foundations for the touring side's outstanding attacking mindset and brutal stonewall defence. On the other side was a team expected to stamp their authority on the tourists and confirm their place as the best side on the planet. But with political, racial and economic scandals swirling around the Springbok camp, plus a rookie coach parachuted into office just before the tour began, the hosts were under huge pressure.

In a Test series that will go down in legend as one of the most compelling of all time, the sides could barely be separated. This is the inside story from both camps as they battle for supremacy, lifting the lid like never before as a huge cast of characters look back on those extraordinary weeks and the impact it had on their lives and careers thereafter. Hilarious, insightful and spine-chilling, Tom English and Peter Burns provide the perfect read for all Lions fans.

Reviews

'Magnificent ... the pinacle of rugby writing'

-- Owen Slot * The Times *

'The 1997 British & Irish Lions expedition to South Africa was amongthe greatest of modern tours.This Is Your Everest, full of evocativememories and riveting detail, soars high above the average rugby book.Compelling stuff'

-- Robert Kitson * The Guardian *

'brilliant and powerful . . . chock-full of fascinating insights and delicious detail'

-- Alan Pearey * Rugby World *

'Hard to beat stories from the horses mouth. Quite a stampede here. A riveting account of a ground-breaking tour'

-- Brendan Fanning * The Sunday Independent *

'beautifully captured'

-- Alasdair Reid * The Times *

'phenomenal'

-- Alex Payne * The Good, The Bad and The Rugby *

'A brilliantly evocative recreation of the 1997 tour, put together with great skill ... rawness and emotion drips from the pages'

-- Peter OReilly * The Times Ireland *

'probably the grestest rugby book of all time'

-- Andy Rowe * The Rugby Pod *

Author Bio

Tom English is an award-winning BBC Sport writer and broadcaster. A former Irish rugby correspondent with the Sunday Times and chief sports writer with Scotland on Sunday.

Peter Burns has been a sports editor for over ten years and is the author of eight books.