Freak training ground injury leaves Lood de Jager in race against time to face Lions - reports

World Cup-winning Springbok lock Lood de Jager is in a race against time to be fit for the visit by the British and Irish Lions.

Reports out of England has it that the 28-year-old stalwart fractured his femur in a freak training ground accident with his English club Sale Sharks this past week.

The Sharks made no mention of the injury in their team announcement of the side to face Scarlets in the last sixteen of the European Champions Cup in Llanelli today.

The Sharks team includes a host of Springboks and SA players – including Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Ffrancois de Klerk, Dan du Preez, Jean-Luc du Preez, Cobus Wiese, Armand van der Merwe, Coenie Oosthuizen and Robert du Preez.

Sale Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson made six changes to his team, but was not questioned about the injury and neither did the media release reveal the reason behind De Jager’s absence from the matchday squad.

However, Sunday newspaper Rapport reported that De Jager suffered the fracture while he landed, after he went up in the air to catch a ball.

The 45-times capped veteran is likely to be sidelined for three months, leaving him little time to be fit for the arrival of the B&I Lions in July.

De Jager just recently recovered from his third round of surgery to his shoulders – the latest injury came during a match at Leicester last season.

It was a recurrence of the injury he sustained in the World Cup Final victory over England in November 2019. De Jager’s injury could leave the Boks thin in the second row – with Munster-based lock Rudolph Snyman also in a race against time, following his freak accident in his first match for the Irish province last year, when he injured his knee in a line-out.