Donal Lenihan: Whoever said ‘time is a great healer’ never lost a Lions series

Brian O’’Driscoll of the Lions is tackled high high by Australia’s Daniel Herbert during the second test match at the Colonial Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. As a manager Donal Lenihan ‘put his heart and soul into the 2001 tour for over a year’. The thought of watching a re-run of the tests back-to-back proved too painful for our columnist. Picture: Dave Rogers/Allsport

The plethora of re-runs of great games from the past — All-Ireland hurling and football finals, memorable matches in Test rugby, glorious nights on the European stage from the giants of English football — have proved the mainstay for all major broadcasters in the sporting famine of the past month.