Leinster and Connacht both thinking about the future on their South African tours

Munster and Ulster have each fired their shots at winning away in South Africa, but neither could come home with anything more than losing bonus points.

The four new South African franchises started slowly in the United Rugby Championship, but since their role turned from tourists to hosts in the spring, they've been a force to be reckoned with.

Only one northern hemisphere side has returned with a win; Edinburgh's surprise 21-5 victory against the Sharks in March the only time in 16 attempts that north has beaten south away from home.

This weekend, and next, it's the turn of Leinster and Connacht to try and break Ireland's luck in South Africa.

With games against the Sharks this evening and the Stormers next week, Leinster's schedule has been kinder than others - both Durban and Cape Town are at sea level, meaning they won't have to deal with the additional challenge of altitude.

However, this evening's game at King's Park will throw up reunion with a familiar face, in the form of Leinster's former academy chief Noel McNamara, now on the coaching ticket at the South African side.

"The Sharks in particular, Noel McNamara knows our guys very well," Leo Cullen said.

"We talked in the past about coaches going to other teams, so that bit of inside knowledge is always a threat.

"The playing power they have you've seen in recent weeks, the front row of Ox Nche, Bongi [Mbonambi], [Thomas] du Toit, those three are all very powerful. I could go through their whole team, they have a lot of quality."

On paper, the Sharks would have the strongest collection of household names.

Along with Nche and Mbonambi as Cullen mentioned, they can boast Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi (above), Makazole Mapimpi, Jaden Hendrikse and Aphelele Fassi, with a