The Lions are hopeful that a trio of star players will recover in time for their biggest match of the past few years, when they take on Leinster in their United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday night.
Captain Francke Horn, centre Henco van Wyk and fullback Quan Horn are all in training and in a race against time to prove their fitness ahead of the game.
The URC’s Ironman Quan Horn was a surprise addition to the injury list, after it was originally thought that Francke Horn (hamstring strain) and Van Wyk (ankle knock) were the only players in doubt.
The Lions have already suffered a major blow over the past month, losing three Springboks – powerful loose forward Ruan Venter to a knee injury in their pool game against Leinster, scrumhalf Morne van den Berg to a bicep tear against Munster, and prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye to a doping ban.
With the Joburg side not boasting the kind of depth that the other SA franchises have, losing another senior star could be a death blow to their hopes of beating Leinster in their first ever URC play-off match.
“It (recovery) is going as well as it possibly can at the moment. They are not entirely in or out, but they’ve practised as much as they can,” said Lions scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys during a virtual press briefing on Tuesday.
“We haven’t been able to announce a team yet, but they are doing as best they can. It looks positive at the moment. However, the guys who must step in for them, should it be needed, are preparing well too.
“We are holding thumbs that our stars come through. It is not yet 100% confirmed, but they look to be available for the clash this weekend.”
Players back
Redelinghuys did confirm that Erich Cronje, who can play at centre and on the wing, is back after missing their last game through injury, while Richard Kriel, who can feature at fullback, centre and wing, has recovered from the concussion that took him off the field against Munster.
After it was confirmed that they would play against defending champs Leinster, after their loss against Munster a few weeks ago, the Lions decided to stay in Ireland ahead of the knockout match, and Redelinghuys believed that had helped them prepare as best as they possibly could.
“I think staying here has given us the best chance to be fresh and sharp, which is why the group decided to do our prep here. If I look at our training sessions now I feel that we are sharper (than ahead of the Leinster pool match earlier in the month),” Redelinghuys said.
“I think the biggest difference for us is that we have played two games here and then have had a good two weeks just to get ourselves ready. We gave the guys a couple of days off, we prepped well at the end of last week and the start of this week.
“Just not having to travel is a big boost for us. But the proof is always in the pudding. So I feel we are giving ourselves our best chance (to cause an upset) and hopefully on the day we will seize that opportunity and convert it.”
