“When it's summer in South Africa it's winter here and I hear that the winter is quite tough in the north.”

Thomond Park will get its first taste of the new South African additions to the Guinness Pro14 when Cheetahs face Munster in Round 2 of the new-look competition.

Two cheetahs, which live on a South African air base to keep other animals off the runway, have attacked a member of the country’s air force.