Thanks to the global season – an idea first floated roughly a quarter of a century ago – remaining a figment of rugby officialdom’s imagination, the incoming (southern hemisphere) and autumn (northern hemisphere) tours have always been viewed as something of a chore by players itching to give their battered body a break.
It’s a readymade, and valid, excuse that has often ended up with the visiting teams almost resigning themselves to losing – and promptly doing so – on tour.
As a result, the occasions on which northern hemisphere teams have come down south and won series tend to be memorable, like Martin Johnson’s England beating Australia and New Zealand in 2003 and Ireland beating the All Blacks 2-1 in 2022.
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