In a well-known scheduling quirk, the Lions get the benefits of a schedule enjoyed by the Africa 1 conference last season; avoiding facing off against a New Zealand team throughout the whole regular season. The Lions have the easiest schedule in Super Rugby in 2017, as calculated by strength of schedule (SOS), a figure which calculates the difficulty of each team's opponents, when compared to other sides. Last season, the Stormers were the biggest beneficiaries - avoiding Kiwi teams until the playoffs, when they unsurprisingly got walloped. The Blues predictably had it toughest, having to play a slate of Kiwi teams, with the other four NZ franchises all making the playoffs. Expectedly, the Africa 2 teams have the cruisest schedules, meaning the lowly Kings could well jump clear of the Sunwolves, who will face the toughest schedule in Super Rugby, including a slew of Kiwi franchises.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 22, 2017 16:26 UTC