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Lions sweating over Jantjies injury

Jantjies sustained a medial collateral ligament injury of his right knee in the 17-50 loss to the Hurricanes at Ellis Park at the weekend.

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However, coach Johan Ackermann's medical staff said the No.10 is "expected" to be ready to play in the next game – against the Blues in Johannesburg on May 14.

The Lions' front row woes can also be eased.

Hooker Malcolm Marx (neck) and prop Julian Redelinghuys (wrist) are making steady progress in recovery from their injuries and – according to the medical staff – "may also return in time for the next match".

The Lions have a much-needed bye this week, which will not only give the injured players some additional "rest-and-recovery", but also allow the Lions to regroup after their third loss of the season.Lions sweating over Jantjies injury

"I hope they really recovered well," Ackermann said, adding: "They have another two weeks and we will continue to treat them.

"They were close and Malcolm in particular was really close. So hopefully they will be ready for the next game."

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Despite their 15-34 loss to the Highlanders in Week Three and their 37-43 loss to the Crusaders in Week Six, the Lions are still in the top four on the standings – courtesy of heading the Africa Two conference.

With all three their defeats having been against New Zealand teams – and the fact that the Lions don't have the luxury of any soft games in against teams in the weak Australian conference – Ackermann felt they need to learn the lessons handed down to them by the Hurricanes.

Ackermann felt the Round 11 bye has come at the right time.

"It's very disappointing," the coach said, lamenting the high number of turnovers his team conceded in the opening quarter of the game – which saw them trail 0-21, a deficit they could not recover from.

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"Credit to the Hurricanes, they came with a well-planned physical game. They outplayed us in all facets and obviously showed us we are not there yet if we are thinking of competing at that level," Ackermann added.

"We have to look at ourselves and ask: 'Did we come with the right attitude? Were we right individually?'

"We also have to look at our own attacking game, our structures and defence.

"But you know, after beating the Sharks in Durban and the Stormers here, the disappointing thing is the way we lost.

"It isn't over yet and there are a lot of games left. It is fixable, but it is up to us as a group to fix it. It doesn't start with anyone else.

"The small things didn't go our way, it started in the beginning where we couldn't score and it just accumulated with the intercept tries. There are a lot of things, but it is fixable."

@rugby365com

Jantjies sustained a medial collateral ligament injury of his right knee in the 17-50 loss to the Hurricanes at Ellis Park at the weekend.

However, coach Johan Ackermann's medical staff said the No.10 is "expected" to be ready to play in the next game – against the Blues in Johannesburg on May 14Lions sweating over Jantjies injury.

The Lions' front row woes can also be eased.

Hooker Malcolm Marx (neck) and prop Julian Redelinghuys (wrist) are making steady progress in recovery from their injuries and – according to the medical staff – "may also return in time for the next match".

The Lions have a much-needed bye this week, which will not only give the injured players some additional "rest-and-recovery", but also allow the Lions to regroup after their third loss of the season.

"I hope they really recovered well," Ackermann said, adding: "They have another two weeks and we will continue to treat them.

"They were close and Malcolm in particular was really close. So hopefully they will be ready for the next game."

Despite their 15-34 loss to the Highlanders in Week Three and their 37-43 loss to the Crusaders in Week Six, the Lions are still in the top four on the standings – courtesy of heading the Africa Two conference.

With all three their defeats having been against New Zealand teams – and the fact that the Lions don't have the luxury of any soft games in against teams in the weak Australian conference – Ackermann felt they need to learn the lessons handed down to them by the Hurricanes.

Ackermann felt the Round 11 bye has come at the right time.

"It's very disappointing," the coach said, lamenting the high number of turnovers his team conceded in the opening quarter of the game – which saw them trail 0-21, a deficit they could not recover from.

"Credit to the Hurricanes, they came with a well-planned physical game. They outplayed us in all facets and obviously showed us we are not there yet if we are thinking of competing at that level," Ackermann added.Lions sweating over Jantjies injury

"We have to look at ourselves and ask: 'Did we come with the right attitude? Were we right individually?'

"We also have to look at our own attacking game, our structures and defence.

"But you know, after beating the Sharks in Durban and the Stormers here, the disappointing thing is the way we lost.

"It isn't over yet and there are a lot of games left. It is fixable, but it is up to us as a group to fix it. It doesn't start with anyone else.

"The small things didn't go our way, it started in the beginning where we couldn't score and it just accumulated with the intercept tries. There are a lot of things, but it is fixable."

@rugby365com

Lions sweating over Jantjies injury

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