When David Livingstone, the great explorer of Africa, arrived one of King Mutesa's villages, he was treated to a huge welcoming cerimony where the King slaughtered and sacrificed 15 of his own best warriors in honour of the visitor. Not a bad African hospitality party trick unless you're an elite warrior !

Such (human) sacrifice, it seems, has remained in African culture and is alive and well in South African rugby union.

When it comes to road trips, the South Africans seem to have a 'reciprocation deficit' within this reciprocal human-sacrifice equation. The Springboks seem to give it up for New Zealand and Australia but certainly don't get the same treatment when Down Under or in New Zealand.

How does New Zealand benefit from this African hospitality ? From the very earliest tours, the sacrifice routine has literally seen South Africans throw their women and children at the feet of their visitors (Jonah Lomu literally walked off with a local SA lass!)

But normally we just place them on a pedestal and their winning ratio in the Rugby Republic is easily triple that of the Springboks in New Zealand. New Zealand stubbornly refused to share the spoils with the Springboks on the South Island for over 100 years and we only recently managed to get a first win at the House of Pain.

In Australia the situation is not much better. The Aussies have routinely been welcomed in South Africa, they've drunk our wine, fed and been merry on sports field after sports field since the beginning of time without giving much back in return. The Aussies won their first game (it was cricket) in South Africa in 1902 and they are incredibly 'thrifty' when it comes to reciprocation. (Their bar tabs been running for over 100 years in cricket as South Africa have never won Down Under!)