Rugby: Lions Tour schedule a crazy challenge

The enormity of the challenge the Lions have taken on isn't going to hit them tonight.

That will come tomorrow when they realise they have just three days to prepare to take on the Blues and one of those days will see them have to travel from Whangarei to Waitangi and back to Auckland.

If that sounds crazy, it's not as bad as the next leg of their tour, where they will have to fly to Christchurch on Thursday to play the Crusaders on Saturday. After that it's just plain mad - travel to Dunedin on the Sunday, rest up Monday, play the Highlanders Tuesday, get to Rotorua on Wednesday and then have a day of training before playing the Maori on Saturday.

They are prisoners to the tyranny of time and already it's a fair bet when this tour is all done and dusted, the conclusion will be reached that something has to give.

If the Lions are to survive, they have to be given more space in the calendar.

If they are to remain a meaningful entity, they have to be given some kind of sensible opportunity to prove their worth.

The danger here is that the best squad they have assembled maybe in their history, leaves New Zealand with their tail between their legs.

Looking through the schedule picking where the might win isn't easy.

They will surely enjoy a victory in Whangarei, but that could be it.

The Blues, for all that they are ridiculed in New Zealand for not being up to it, are in fact a quality rugby side. They would sit easily within the playoffs but for Super Rugby's ridiculous system.

It's hardly going to be easy for the Lions playing a side that will most likely field Charlie Faumuina, Steven Luatua, Sonny Bill Williams, Rieko Ioane, George Moala and Patrick Tuipulotu.

The Crusaders would probably beat most international sides at the moment and their All Blacks contingent all want to be involved.

It will mean as much to the likes of Sam Whitelock and Owen Franks to play the Lions in a Crusaders jersey as it will when they are playing for the All Blacks.

Even without their All Blacks, the Highlanders will be enormously difficult to beat on a pitch that catches out everyone who has never played on it before.

The prospect of the Lions losing to all three is real and the Maori, Chiefs and Hurricanes could all pile on their misery.

A tour that sees the Lions lose more than half their games won't be a fair reflection of what they are bringing to New Zealand.

This is potentially a great rugby side, capable of taking the All Blacks to the wire and beating them once, if not twice.

But until someone can shorten the northern hemisphere club season, the Lions are going to be on mission impossible and made to look well below the true class they carry.

"We don't mind the schedule at all," said Lions tour manager John Spencer. "It would be a pointless exercise coming to New Zealand to play the best team in the world, and trying to play them having played mediocre opposition.

"So the fact that we're playing Super Rugby sides is exactly what the coaches want, to prepare sides for the tests.

"The only thing we're disappointed in on the domestic side is the preparation time. We're trying to fit six weeks' preparation into a couple of weeks with only part of our squad," said Spencer.

"So that aspect is disappointing, but that's our lot, that's what we have to react to."