Toulouse have beaten the Sharks in both their previous fixtures, and are in form while the Durban union are struggling.
The Sharks, in abysmal form this season, have a mountain to climb if they want to kick off their Champions Cup campaign with an away win against an in-form Toulouse, which are historically strong in the competition.
Toulouse have also soundly beaten the Sharks in both their previous clashes.
Still, a new tournament offers the flailing Durban franchise a fresh start.
A tale of two fortunes
The Sharks sputter at 14th on the United Rugby Championship log with one win out of six matches, amid a coaching shake-up that will see head coach John Plumtree step down at the end of the season.
While Plumtree has committed to seeing the season through for his players, the Springbok-studded Sharks still have a long way to go to reach their potential and satisfy their fans after two poor seasons and the start of another.
They face the French giants at Stade Ernest-Wallon at 5.15pm on Sunday, a team currently enjoying very different fortunes.
Toulouse are on a four-game winning streak after victories against Racing 92, Montauban, Stade Français and Toulon since their narrow 30-26 away defeat to Pau in October.
They lead the Top 14 table with eight wins from 11 games. Significant wins include a 56-13 victory over Champions Cup title holders Bordeaux Bègles and a 59-24 drubbing of French giants Toulon, a team that has won the Champions Cup three times.
Toulouse have a 2-0 record against the Sharks. They won their 2022/23 quarter-final in Toulouse 54-20 and then beat the Sharks again 20-8 in a pool match at Kings Park, Durban, last season.
They also have a formidable record in the tournament, winning the title a record six times, including the more recent 2020/21 and 2023/24 editions.
Toulouse reached the semi-finals last year but lost 35-18 to Bordeaux away. They will want to restamp their authority on Europe’s premier rugby tournament.
Sharks have a mountain to climb against Toulouse
The Sharks, meanwhile, have only reached the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup once – the abovementioned loss to Toulouse. That came after a scintillating 50-35 round of 16 victory against Munster.
They have otherwise never reached the Champions Cup play-offs, though they won the Challenge Cup after dropping into the second-tier tournament in 2023/24, beating Gloucester 36-22 in the final in England.
After Toulouse, the Sharks have another pool match against Saracens at Kings Park the week after. They then return to the URC for three weeks, before playing their final Champions Cup pool matches against Sale Sharks in England and Clermont Auvergne in Durban.
