The wheels of British Airways flight 57 had no sooner left the tarmac of the runway at Heathrow Airport on Sunday night then the elderly five-foot-four-inch American lady in the seat in front had opted to recline her seat as far back as it would go.

The next 11 hours offered an inkling of what life must be like for a battery hen – fed, watered, minimal natural light and with little room for manoeuvre.

Still as long as she was comfortable, it’s all that mattered.

Three films, two rugby documentaries and no sleep later it was time to deplane in Johannesburg and join the slow shuffle through passport control where conversation is frowned upon.

Grabbing a taxi with Peter Jackson (Daily Mail) and Chris Jones (London Evening Standard) the driver was faced with the three suitcases won’t fit in that boot conundrum. We realised this after 30 seconds but it took him about 10 minutes of fruitless loading and unloading.

Eventually with luggage and equipment stored it was time for a high speed dash to a city centre hotel, the highlight of which was a 70 mile an hour evasive manoeuvre from the fast lane to a gravelled area/grassy knoll after a risky overtaking strategy went pear shaped.

It certainly livened up the journey and the bowels.

The Lions squad is based in the five star elegance of the Sandton Sun hotel complete with a high end shopping mall and have been blessed with beautiful warm sunshine since their arrival.

The dos and don’ts of life in Johannesburg are clearly outlined in every hotel room and although Sandton is an affluent area of the city, walking after dark is actively discouraged.

The people though we’ve met so far have been unfailingly polite and very helpful in dealing with their visitors.