40-hour trips, bus rides, cattle class flights: Why SA teams field B teams. 'A real nightmare'

SA Rugby's franchise move to the northern hemisphere was meant to be the country's saving grace from arduous cross-continental travel in the old Super Rugby days.

But SA's inclusion in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and Champions Cup has thrown up more B teams than the makeshift "preparation series" of 2021.

Last weekend, Currie Cup head coach Joey Mongalo led a significantly weakened Sharks side into the Galway gallows, where they suffered a 24-12 defeat to Connacht that snapped their five-match winning streak.