The Australian Kangaroos are headed to England for the first Ashes series in over two decades, but the trip over there is not ideal.
Newly appointed head coach Kevin Walters has bemoaned the fact that his side will have to fly to the UK at six in the morning, a schedule that is sure to effect how they acclimatise.
"We’re flying out of Sydney at 6am," said Walters on a recent episode of Inside Ball.
"Now the RFL, in their kindness, have given us the worst flight possible to be flying to England if you’re a sports team.
"It couldn’t have been worse."
As a countermeasure, Walters has hired a specialist to advise his squad on what the best practices are to regulate their sleep and prevent ongoing effects of jet lag.
"We have hired a sleep specialist who specialises in overseas travel and sporting teams, making sure that they get the best available preparation," said Walters.
"Before we go, we’ll start little things like sleeping tablets to try to adjust.
"We arrive in London at 8:15pm, so we don’t want them going to sleep at 8pm because they be awake at 4am."
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Each fixture is scheduled for 2:30pm local time, meaning that the early flight from Sydney is a serious concern given the eastern coast of Australia is nine hours ahead of their British counterparts.
The first game of the three-test series will be played at Wembley Stadium on October 25.