The Fidelity SecureDrive Lions rugby team faces a major injury crisis ahead of their United Rugby Championship (URC) quarterfinal against Leinster on May 22, 2026.
Van Rooyen admitted that the Lions are facing a massive void after losing key "momentum givers". Despite the setbacks, he remains optimistic about the squad's depth and their ability to rise to the occasion in Dublin.
Key players Morne van den Berg and Ruan Venter have been ruled out for the remainder of the season. It was not all bad news as van Rooyen confirmed the return of captain Francke Horn, centre Henco van Wyk and utility back Richard Kriel.
“Francke and Henco did a slight running session yesterday to see where they are, and they passed that session, so they’ll gradually keep on improving. At this stage, it looks like they might be ready for next weekend. Richard [Kriel] is fine after his concussion, but otherwise, there are no other major injury concerns apart from that.”
“Both Krappie and Ruan Venter were operated on on Wednesday. The operations went well, but unfortunately, both of them are out for quite a bit.
“Unfortunately, it looks like Krappie might be out for four to six months, which is a big blow. Ruan will be out approximately between six and nine months. Obviously, it’s a couple of the senior guys, our momentum guys, in our system.”
