Connacht have no intention of letting the Sharks off the hook but boss Pete Wilkins says they are expecting a different beast from the side that has lost their opening four games.
Without their World Cup Springboks, John Plumtree's side have suffered away losses to Munster, Leinster, Ospreys and Zebre so far.
Conversely, Connacht led the table after three homes wins and followed up by picking up a losing bonus point away to Edinburgh last weekend.
The hosts, who won nine from 12 home games last season, welcome back centre Lukhanyo Am, who didn't get any game time in South Africa's World Cup campaign, while Connacht have travelled without Ireland backs Bundee Aki and Mack Hansen.
Finlay Bealham (below), however, returns to the front row for the 3pm kick-off (Irish time, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player).
"The first thing is to make sure that there's no degree of complacency in how we approach it," said Wilkins, who took over as boss following Andy Friend’s departure at the end of last season.
"A four-game tour is really, really tough and the South African teams have to face that in the URC, they faced similar situations in Super Rugby and even though they have to go through that they're still there in the knock-out stage of the competition because they are then so difficult to beat at home as well.
"For us it's understanding that the last four weeks isn't everything that we'll get thrown at us in a Sharks context.
"In terms of trying to make the most of the opportunity, it's realising that we have to be in every fight.
"The Sharks this season and the Sharks last season when they were having a lot of success, they're a team that damages opposition teams in very short bursts, very quick moments.
"They don't need 10 or 15 phases of attacking play to build up to cause damage.
"Similarly, you don't get those phases in attack to build momentum against us, they are big bodies and make the breakdown a mess, they are very, very physical and confrontational and they have this game when they have these spurts of energy and intensity.
"For us, it's crucial that we're in all of those moments and if we do that, with the quality of players and with a pretty sound game plan, I think it's an opportunity for us."
Despite their fast start, Wilkins knows much of the hard work can be undone if they fail to build on their points tally.
They face the Bulls, who were league leaders after round four, next week and then return to Galway where Leinster will aim to spoil Connacht’s flawless home record.
"This is an important block for us," said Wilkins, whose side aim to extend the Sharks’ winless streak against Irish sides to nine games.
"We talked about the advantage of those three home games at the start, which we still had to deliver on to make sure we got that momentum, and I was pleased we did.
"The Edinburgh game was always going to be a tough assignment so this is just the next chapter in terms of opportunity but also a challenge.
"Our away form is something that we've looked at very closely and obviously we want more wins on the road but we also want more consistency and more competitive performances week to week across the 80 minutes of away games.
"So it's a great opportunity for us to be building on that, and then a great opportunity for us to return home in a couple of weeks hopefully with more points on the ledger and to still be around that top group of teams in the competition.
"Leinster itself is a short turnaround for us when we come back with the travel and the game that it is but it's another game that this or any other group of Connacht players doesn't need a whole lot of motivation for.
"Like, it's such an exciting week at the best of times so whatever happens on the road we'll be returning and looking forward to that when the time goes, but also knowing that there's some fresh bodies back here that can bring some new energy.
"So it's a cool three weeks coming up and as a group, I think we're excited by the challenge."
Connacht's only previous visit to the Kings Park was a 41-21 loss in April 2022.
Meanwhile, Sharks forwards Hyron Andrews and George Cronje both miss out after being suspended for four games each following a tackle in last weekend's loss to Zebre.
Watch Sharks v Connacht in the URC from 2.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
