And so begins a tour-shaping fortnight for the British & Irish Lions in Australia. Starting with the Western Force on Saturday they will be playing five matches inside 15 days and covering 5,700km across five different states and territories. By the time they relocate from Adelaide back to Brisbane for the first Test they will have crisscrossed the outback more often than Mad Max in his heyday.
There are so many variables involved that sticking to rigid plans will be nigh-on impossible. Leaving aside the opposition and the travel for a moment, there are more than 90 people attached to this Lions expedition once you add in all the backroom staff, bottle washers and comms types. As plate-spinning exercises go, it is a major logistical challenge.
