Lions Win

[toalisi]

A lot is being made over the Lions beating Australia and they certainly
finished today's match with a flourish.
Why is so surprising that a team which has the cream of the best players
from four countries should beat a single country?

If the opposite happened and the pick of South Africa, New Zealand
& Australian players played a Home Country wouldn't it be a forgone
conclusion that they would defeat us?

[SeaJayPea]

Don't think it would. The thing is, many of these guys find themselves in a team in which they have never played with the people round them at all. They spend all year playing against each other, then are expected to combine and make a world-beating squad. It just doesn't happen that often. It was 1997 that a Lions squad last won a series.

[Sqad]

Good point toalisi........the population of the UK is probably around three times that of Australia.

[toalisi]

The side in this final test contained 10 Welshmen who play together
continually.

[SeaJayPea]

My point is that it would appear that only by having the majority from one country have they won this series. Mix 'n' Match doesn't seem to work particularly well. And I can't see it working for the southern hemisphere either.