John Fogarty braces as Leinster begin African adventure

Leinster flew out for South Africa via Paris last night with forwards coach John Fogarty warning that they will have to roll with the punches off the field long before they step inside the white lines.

Leo Cullen’s side and Zebre will make history this weekend when they face the Southern Kings and Cheetahs respectively but they will be following itineraries hastily patched together after the two South African franchises were embraced by the old Celtic League.

Leinster’s two-game trip will involve stints in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein before the 28-man squad and a dozen backroom staff return in as many as three different parties 12 days later.