Good news for Connacht Rugby as Bundee Aki is fit and available to line out in Dexcom Stadium on Saturday (7.45pm ) when the URC resumes.
While Aki has recovered from a hip injury, fellow international Mack Hansen is awaiting scan results, and is not available having suffered injuries playing for both the Lions and Connacht.
Connacht senior assistant coach Rob Seib says Hansen "doesn’t want to have a patchy season of in-and-out all the time, so he has to balance Ireland commitments with Connacht".
"It is something that is at the forefront of our minds, so we want to make sure we give him a good opportunity to be at his best for Ireland, and also for us.
"It’s a bit of balancing act, but hopefully he will be on the selection table soon."
While Hansen is a loss to Connacht, Seib says the coaching staff are patient with his plight.
"We will be patient knowing at this time of the year we have so many healthy bodies, certainly in the back three, but in saying that, he will add value when he does return."
Connacht’s remaining internationals are available for selection against the visiting Sharks, but among the absentees are also a host of regulars that include David Hawkshaw, who is on return-to-play protocols after the Eagles fixture, and Oisin McCormack with a hamstring injury. Dylan Tierney Martin (calf ) and Seamus Hurley-Langton (shoulder ) will miss the game, but will be reviewed next week. However, Oisin Dowling remains out of action until February after knee surgery, while Byron Ralston and Temi Lasisi both have long-term knee injuries.
The two sides face each other with just one win to date - Connacht are ahead of the Sharks by one point. And Seib accepts that while it is still early days, the fixture has "big importance".
"We do recognise we haven’t had enough wins this season, so in terms of setting something up to build momentum, it is not lost on the group how important this fixture is."
Seib says the international break has given Connacht a chance to consolidate and recognise their strengths and weaknesses.
"It’s been a great opportunity to have those meetings with players, to have those one-on-one discussions. We’ve had a little bit of exposure to real competition, so now we know where we need to improve.
"From my point of view, it hasn't been a long break. It's been a timely break, and one now that we're looking to obviously start this weekend against the Sharks and build momentum through Christmas."
