Cell C Sharks boast a wealth of World Cup-winning Springboks in their squad and Munster will have to deal with heat in the mid-20s and humidity in the mid-70s, as well as coming off the back of a 38-26 home BKT United Rugby Championship loss to Glasgow Warriors last weekend.

Rowntree likened his side’s challenge to the one they faced in Toulouse in Round 4 of the Heineken Champions Cup, when they recovered from going behind to Stade Toulousain to lose by a narrow 20-16 margin.

“That was a real challenge,” he told the Irish Times. “That was like a Test match. We could’ve, should’ve won it. So, it’s going to need a similar performance or a better performance this week. That’s what we are aiming for.”

Rowntree revealed that Munster have contacted the three Irish other provinces about preparation for the South African trip, with Leinster Rugby and Connacht Rugby having suffered close defeats in Durban last April, while Ulster Rugby won there five weeks ago.

“We have certainly been doing a bit of heat training in the background here, quietly topping that up,” he said. “I’d like to think our fitness and the way we are moving in training will really help us this time out.

“A big part of it is just getting on it with, try and ignore those factors. That is sport, travelling, and what an experience for the lads to go and play in; different continents, playing against teams who play in different competitions. It’s part of sport. These are the memories you look back on.

“It’s a brilliant occasion and the lads are lucky to go and play in places like this in this competition. What a challenge, but what a memory it will be. The club is built on this. It’s a special competition for us. It’s the next game. What happened last Saturday is going to drive us on even more.”

Munster Rugby head coach Graham Rowntree believes his side will need to produce their best performance of the season if they are to overcome Cell C Sharks in the Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 in Durban on Saturday.