Cruel blow for Whiteley and the Lions – end of Super Rugby campaign

There’s no way to spin this positively – the Lions will miss Warren Whiteley tremendously as they go into the final group stages of the Super Rugby competition. Jaco Kriel is a fine replacement as skipper – a job he’s done before for the Lions at Currie Cup level, and he’s a respected senior player. But Whiteley is in the form of his life, and he has a tremendous mental impact on his teammates, not to mention a physical impact on his opponents. Consider assistant coach Matthew Proudfoot’s high praise for Whiteley’s leadership abilities in the buildup to the third Test in Port Elizabeth. Proudfoot said: “What has amazed me is Warren’s leadership. How he leads the guys is phenomenal and he is a player with an unbelievable high work ethic.” I told Warren “what I respect about you is the way you lead your guys. He makes the job easier for everyone and aligns a lot of the fringe players and that is crucial in sport.” That’s what the Lions will miss as they bid to make the knockout stages of Super Rugby. – David O’Sullivan

From Reuters

Cape Town – The Lions will be without captain Warren Whiteley for the rest of the Super Rugby campaign.

Lions captain Warren Whiteley will sit on the sidelines for six weeks due to injury. Pic: Twitter @TimesLIVE
Lions captain Warren Whiteley will sit on the sidelines for six weeks due to injury. Pic: Twitter @TimesLIVE

This was confirmed by the Johannesburg-based union on Monday after the No 8 returned from Springbok action with an injured AC joint in his right shoulder following Saturday’s 19-13 win for the Springboks over Ireland in Port Elizabeth. 

That was Whiteley’s first start for the Springboks after a couple of impressive performances off the bench in Cape Town and Johannesburg. 

The Lions confirmed that an MRI scan on Monday revealed a grade III injury.

https://twitter.com/LungaKupiso/status/747792482100973570

The specialist confirmed on Tuesday that he did not require surgery yet, but that he would only return to action in about six weeks. 

The Lions, who host the Sharks at Ellis Park this weekend, will now be captained by flank Jaco Kriel. 

Kriel made his Springbok debut off the bench in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

Visited 74 times, 1 visit(s) today