Lombard injury can be put down to ‘bad luck’, says Lions team doctor

Lions team doctor, Rob Collins, has called the ACL injury suffered by exciting Lions fullback, Gianni Lombard, “a case of bad luck”.

The 22-year-old, who’d only returned to action in recent weeks following a similar injury to his left knee – suffered playing against the Chiefs in Hamilton last April – picked up the latest injury in the latter stages of last Saturday’s Super Rugby Unlocked match against the Bulls at Ellis Park.

He will be out of action for up to nine months.

“It’s what is called a non-contact ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) rupture,” said Collins on Monday.

“Gianni took no contact at all when it happened. When you look back at the video, in the 77th minute, he catches the ball and passes it on, and as his foot hits the ground, his leg buckles.”

Collins explained that such injuries are possible with certain individuals.

“It is documented quite a bit in medical literature. And, some NFL (National Football League) clubs have done genetic testing to see if some people are more at risk than others (for non-contact ACL injuries).

“We’ve also screened players here for it and looked for risk factors, but this sort of thing happens.”

Lombard will undergo surgery soon.

Meanwhile, Collins said the Lions squad were now in good health with all the previous Covid-19 issues behind them.

Three weeks ago a handful of Lions players tested positive for Covid or had come into contact with people who’d tested positive. They were withdrawn from the squad, but when a few more cases arose the Lions’ Unlocked match against the Cheetahs was called off hours before kick-off.

The team returned to action the following week, to face Griquas – and register their only win so far in the competition – while last weekend they came unstuck against the Bulls.

“Everyone who tested positive, or was quarantined, is now back in full training,” said Collins.

“There was one guy who had very mild symptoms, two who had something like a moderate fly, and the others showed nothing at all.”

Collins explained the return to play policy following a period out of the game because of Covid.

“After seven days the player will undergo a cardiac test and follow a return-to-activity programme. Once passed, the players can return to the squad for training,” he said.

“Ultimately, whether the player returns to action or not is dependent on the coaching team because the player would have lost out on training, so it becomes a conditioning issue, rather than a medical issue.”

Since July, the Lions have tested their squad each week, with only six positive tests – all coming in that one week three weeks ago.

The Lions will again test their players on Tuesday, ahead of this weekend’s match against the Pumas.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.