With Storm Darragh set to roll in on Saturday morning, the fourth named storm of the year that is bringing with it “potentially damaging” winds, there is naturally going to be doubt surrounding whether several sporting events will take place this weekend.
An amber warning is in place by the Met Office from 3am to 9pm on Saturday, with 60-70mph gusts expected inland and rising to 70-80mph on exposed coasts.
While local sport could fall foul of the weather, the two sides that look like they could be most affected are Ulster Rugby and the Belfast Giants, who are both due to take flights on Saturday.
Ulster are expected to fly to Toulouse on Saturday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s hotly anticipated Champions Cup opener against defending European and Top14 champions Stade Toulousain at the Stade Ernest-Wallon.
Due to a packed rugby calendar, should Ulster not make it over to France for the game then they would be forced to forfeit the tie rather than just playing it on a different date, meaning they would miss out on the chance to even try and pick up a result against the French giants.
Meanwhile, the Giants are scheduled for an away double-header over the weekend, with a trip to face the Cardiff Devils on Saturday followed by a visit to the Coventry Blaze on Sunday.
It would not be the first time that the Giants have been affected by storm travel this season having suffered an eight-hour delay ahead of their game against the Nottingham Panthers two weeks ago thanks to Storm Bert.
The result was an extremely short preparation for the game, which was pushed back by nearly an hour-and-a-half and which they would lose 3-2 in overtime.
Closer to home, there is a full schedule of Sports Direct Premiership and Playr-Fit Championship fixtures set to take place on Saturday as the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) calendar continues.
Per FA bylaws, which are likely very similar to that of the IFA’s, there is no exact wind speed that will determine that a game should be called off, only “that the condition of the field of play or its surrounds or that the weather conditions are such as to allow or not to allow a match to take place.”
And in Gaelic Games, the Ulster Club Senior Football Championship is due to get under way at 3:30pm on Sunday when Kilcoo take on Errigal Ciaran at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh to conclude a competition that has already been beset by postponements.
Storm Ashley prompted the postponement of four county finals in October, resulting in significant fixture congestion, and this close to Christmas it would not be ideal for Ulster GAA to have to push back their flagship club game.
All four of Ulster Rugby, the Belfast Giants, NIFL and Ulster GAA have been contacted for comment.