France ace Dupont may be destined for Durbs

The Sharks may face a near full-strength Stade Toulousain (Toulouse) in the Champions Cup in Durban on Saturday.

Toulouse, the record six-time champions, look set to deploy their heavy artillery this weekend in a clash that may in large part mirror the one between the Tricolores and the Springboks.

It makes for a mouthwatering clash, with some of the visitors' leading lights including global superstar Antoine Dupont likely to play, especially after he and other France internationals were spared the trip to La Rochelle last weekend.

The average age of the Toulouse team last weekend was 22 and coach Ugo Mola would have drawn comfort from the fact that his young charges ran La Rochelle close. It took an after-the-hooter penalty for La Rochelle to get the job done against the experimental side.

Apart from Dupont, Toulouse also left out fellow France internationals Romain Ntamack, Thomas Ramos, Emmanuel Meafou, Francois Cros and Peato Mauvaka for last weekend's trip to the Bay of Biscay.

It's unclear whether they will have the towering Richie Arnold and Nepo Laulala back from injury.

The Sharks will be desperate to press experienced tight five muscle back into action. Springboks' Eben Etzebeth and Bongi Mbonambi missed the recent derbies against the Bulls and the Stormers but they are expected to return this weekend.

The Sharks will also hope centre Lukhanyo Am is restored to fitness as well as loose forwards Vincent Tshituka and James Venter.

They will, however, be without influential backs Aphelele Fassi and André Esterhuizen, who sustained injuries in Cape Town against the Stormers.

In Cape Town on Saturday the Stormers may have to continue without the star quality of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu in their clash against Sale Sharks.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu's time on the sidelines is of growing concern. Director of rugby John Dobson admitted the Stormers perhaps pushed the relative novice to the limit in their derby against the Sharks.

“We took him to the edge,” Dobson said about the player, who was only replaced before halftime after sustaining a collarbone injury in the opening minutes.

“When he first went down, I thought: ‘We made a calamitous error as coaches’. We went six-two [in their bench split] and he went down.

“It is his clavicle that went out and was popped back in. We offered him to come off, but he said he wanted to keep trying. I am not sure if it was helpful for the team, but we should have pulled the trigger [getting him off] a little earlier. He was trying to push through to halftime.

“Three games in a row we have lost him within minutes, and it is tough on him.”

World Rugby's breakthrough player of the year nominee left the field concussed against the Sharks in Durban, and departed the scene in the 28th minute against the Lions with a hip pointer injury just before Christmas.

He received a knock to his collarbone in the opening play of the game in the return fixture against the Sharks and though he tried to soldier on, the injury eventually forced him to leave the field.