Anxious wait for reeling Lions

The Lions are sweating over the availability of injured skipper Francke Horn and the implications for their bid to qualify for the Vodacom URC playoffs.

The Pride’s slim hopes of a top-eight finish were dealt a major blow last week, when Horn was forced off early with a suspected dislocated kneecap in a 42-31 loss to Benetton at Ellis Park.

“It was at a lineout,” he said post-match. “They tried to sack me, my leg got stuck, and I felt a click. The physio clicked it back, but it was too unstable to continue.”

A dislocation could mean two to six weeks on the sidelines for the dynamic No 8 or, if surgery is unavoidable, a three to six-month layoff.

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Horn has been one of the Lions’ standout performers this season and earned a call-up to his first Springbok alignment camp in March.

The Lions currently sit 14th on the URC log with 31 points and three rounds left of the regular season. While mathematically still alive, their road to the playoffs looks steep, even with three bonus-point wins.

“We still have a chance,” said coach Ivan van Rooyen. “It’s small, but we’ll keep fighting.”

The Johannesburg outfit host Connacht on Saturday, a team the Lions thrashed 38-14 in Galway last season. The Irish club arrive on the Highveld reeling from a 34-29 loss to the Stormers.

Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images