Double blow for Lions
The Lions face the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein next Saturday, October 15.
The other semifinal is between the Blue Bulls and Western Province in Pretoria on the same day.
The Lions will be without star prop Dylan Smith and seasoned centre Howard Mnisi.
Smith suffered an injury to his right shoulder in the 28-16 win over the Sharks at Ellis Park last Saturday.
He underwent surgery on Wednesday and is sidelined for the rest of the year.
He is expected to be available for the start of the Super Rugby season in February.
Mnisi has a grade two injury of his left knee, also suffered against the Sharks, and will be out for four to six weeks.
However, the good news is that Lourens Erasmus returned to training on Tuesday this week, following a side strain.
Springboks Francois de Klerk and Julian Redelinghuys will also become available once they have completed their obligations with the national team.
South Africa face New Zealand in the last round of the Rugby Championship in Durban on Saturday.
