Storm approaching for under-strength Sharks

IT IS A strange rugby world we live in when a Springboks versus Wales match kicks off during a busy United Rugby Championship tomorrow.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

The dew will barely have settled at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff when the Sharks run out against Connacht.

In Cardiff, the likes of Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Bongi Mbonambi, Ethan Hooker and Andre Esterhuizen will have just enough time to sit down in front of a television, with suitable refreshments, to watch their teammates kick off in Galway against an Irish side that seldom loses at home.

How beleaguered coach John Plumtree would love to have those seasoned pros in black and white for such a tough encounter. The weather prediction is for a frosty 3 degrees with strong winds. No rain is expected, but it is that wind blowing in from the Irish Sea that makes playing Connacht at home such a challenge.

The Springboks mentioned above will then enter a rest week while Plumtree takes an unchanged squad to Toulouse. There is talk of Antoine Dupont making his comeback from injury for the Champions Cup match against the Sharks.