Leinster’s early South African voyage a spanner in works for Leo Cullen

The complications involved in travelling to South Africa so early in the upcoming PRO14 season are already evident for Leinster coach Leo Cullen.

A “spanner in the works” was how the Leinster head coach described the two-week trip as he scrambles to prepare for something that wasn’t even mapped on the radar when the last season ended.

The province is down to play away to both the Southern Kings and Cheetahs within six days in September and the restrictions on the number of those travelling imposed by the tournament organisers has already compromised Cullen’s plans for his British and Irish Lions.