Cheetahs braced for northern exposure on PRO14 debut

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

Ulster’s first ever taste of what was initially labelled Celtic League rugby came in the guise of a 30-13 win over Swansea - the Ospreys were still a figment of the imagination way back then - in front of 6,000 punters in Belfast, writes Brendan O’Brien.

It’s only been 16 years but it seems like a lifetime. Kingspan Stadium was still the beloved but battered old Ravenhill at the time and the Welsh side’s out-half that day was a promising teenager by the name of Gavin Henson.