The Lions are facing concerns over flyhalf Kade Wolhuter’s availability for their upcoming three-week tour to Europe following a hamstring injury in Saturday’s win over Edinburgh.
Wolhuter, who was instrumental in the Lions’ first-half dominance before being forced off in the 33rd minute, is set to undergo further assessment. Head coach Ivan van Rooyen remains optimistic but cautious about his condition.
The Lions, who will tour Wales, Italy, and Ireland, are hopeful Wolhuter will recover in time. Should the former DHL Stormers star be unavailable, Sanele Nohamba is expected to step into the No 10 jersey.
“It’s not his knee, rather a hamstring that got hurt. At this stage, the injury does not look too serious,” Van Rooyen was quoted post-match. Wolhuter, who has recently returned from a long-term knee injury, is no stranger to setbacks.
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“He is a player who, from his school days, has the ability to attack, defend, find gaps and make good decisions,” Van Rooyen added. “Hopefully, we got him off the field in time.”
The Lions’ eight-try performance marked their second bonus-point win of the 2024-25 Vodacom URC season, following a commanding victory against Ulster two weeks ago.
Despite leading 48-0 at half time on Saturday, Van Rooyen was less pleased with the second half, during which the Lions scored just seven points and allowed Edinburgh three tries.
“We were very good clinically, we used our opportunities and created opportunities. We laid the foundation for that with good defense,” Van Rooyen explained.
However, he noted the Pride’s second-half dip, saying, “They started to do better in the set pieces and started to determine the pace of the game. We allowed them to play better and started conceding too many penalties.”
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