DVD reviews

Mary Hanniganreviews the best of the year's sports DVDs

Munster - The Brave And The Faithful(€25.99)

Spare a thought for Rudolph and the lads, they'll be weighed down with so many of these DVDs when delivering to the Munster area on Christmas Eve they'll be lucky to get their sleigh off the ground. This official DVD documents what was an exhilarating year for Munster rugby, following the team's journey through the Heineken European Cup - includes dressing room footage from Cardiff and Thomond Park and the thoughts of players, management and supporters.

Ireland's Triple Crown(€37.99)

Speaking of Irish rugby success, this DVD features highlights of Ireland's matches from the 2006 Six Nations competition, with a bonus DVD thrown in featuring every second of that 28-24 victory at Twickenham when the response back home to Shane Horgan's 78th-minute try registered 9.9 on the Richter Scale.

36th Ryder Cup(€18)

Two hours plus of action from the Ryder Cup which, on the off chance that you spent the year on Jupiter, was held in Ireland in September. All the most memorable of moments are here, as well as clips from press conferences, hole-by-hole aerial views and Ian Woosnam's run-in with a pint.

Sam 06: The 2006 Gaelic Football Championship(€24.95)

If you're a Mayo supporter you might want to press stop just as you get to the final, at which point you should stick in the bonus DVD which shows the brilliant semi-final win over Dublin in full.

Narrated by Des Cahill, the main DVD takes you through the Championship year, all the way to Kerry, yet again, leaving Croke Park in the company by Sam.

Liam 06: The 2006 Hurling Championship(€24.95)

Again Des Cahill takes us through the year, when Cork would have completed the three-in-a-row if it wasn't for that shower from Kilkenny. The DVD also includes highlights of the Christy Ring, Nicky Rackard, minor All-Ireland and camogie finals - there's also a bonus DVD of the senior semi-final between Cork and Waterford in full.

Apres Match - The Best of 2006(£15.99)

"In total, 28 million words have been spoken, 5,000 matches have been viewed, and around one of them has been accurately predicted," says the blurb of Dunphy, Giles, Brady and O'Herlihy's career in football punditry, and this DVD features the Apres Match crew's 2006 take on its very favourite quartet. A busy year it was for them too, with the World Cup finals, but they still find time on the DVD for the Ryder Cup and Miriam O'Callaghan, amongst many others.

Liverpool FC - 100 Years Of The Kop(€24)

This year was the centenary of one of football's most famous terraces and this DVD gives us its history and 100 of the greatest moments witnessed by Liverpool supporters who inhabited it over those years.

George Best - Special Edition(€22)

There's no shortage of DVDs featuring Best in his prime (Manchester United - The Official George Best Story (2001) is another option) but this one was released to commemorate the first anniversary of his death and features two previously seen programmes, Best Intentions (1999) and Best's View, his last interview. It's 55 minutes long, includes interviews with Matt Busby, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law and plenty of highlights from his career.

Horse Racing's Greatest Ever Races - Flat & Jumps(€22)

This double DVD (180 minutes running time), released in January of this year, features 50 races in all, 25 of the best of the flat and jumps. Needless to say, Sea Biscuit, Mill Reef, Secretariat, Shergar, Vintage Crop, Arkle, Red Rum, Desert Orchid and Best Mate all feature, with Clare Balding providing the commentary.

Boxing Legends - The Ultimate Box Set(€23.99)

Ali, Frazier, Holmes, Norton, Duran, Chavez and a whole disc dedicated to Rocky Marciano and his life story - sounds to us like this might just go down well with the boxing fan in your life. Disc one focuses on the "World Heavyweight Legends", disc two looks at the careers of the "Latin Legends", and disc three is all about Marciano.

Euro prices are estimated