Aussie and Kiwi teams have it easier
A four-game trip to this part of the world is tough.
You had to admire the fight of the Lions in Perth especially defending near their goal-line. Apart from a bad five minutes before half time, and again at full time, they could have won the game, but instead they saw the Force score two tries when the Lions had a man carded.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann said after the Waratahs game that his brand-new team started the season well when they got back into Super Rugby. But their depth was not great and he had to reach down to use Vodacom Cup players when starters got injured.
The admirable Lions
It’s hard to believe that an Aussie team would do better in a fourth game in South Africa than the young Lions did in Perth; so it’s lucky for them they only have to play two of them.
South African teams spend four weeks on the road and Aussie teams, only two. Four of the Aussie teams can take a short flight over to NZ stay a couple of days and go home. It’s a longer trip for the Force, but South African teams would swap travel plans with them any day.
This will all change in 2016 when the South African Conference of Super Rugby will have eight teams: six from the RSA, one from Argentine, and another (probably Saracens). Five will be in their time zone.
But meantime they will have their long trip again next year.
