More injury woes for Lions

The Golden Lions suffered a double blow on Monday, with the news that two key players could miss the visit of Western Province this week.

The defending champion Lions, who are still smarting from their 14-30 loss to the Sharks at the weekend, have hooker Callie Visagie and Springbok centre Waylon Murray on the injury list.

Murray, with a history of knee injuries, injured the same knee that ruled him out for a lengthy period during the Super Rugby season earlier this year.

Lions coach Johan Ackermann told this website that Murray will see an orthopedist on Tuesday to determine the full extent of the injury.

"There is some damage to the knee, so we are not sure about his availability for this week," Ackermann told this website.

The other key injury is to their first-choice hooker, Visagie, who damaged ribs in the loss to the Sharks.

"We are working hard on Callie [Visagie], putting him in an oxygen tank and everything," the coach said, adding: "It is all about what his pain threshold will be on Thursday."

There are a number of bumps and bruises, which will see players miss contact on Monday and Tuesday.

However, Ackermann is confident all the other players will be released from the sickbay in time to face the high-flying Western Province in Johannesburg on Saturday.

"The injuries just doesn't want to stop," the Lions coach lamented.

By Jan de Koning