Springbok lock Lood de Jager could yet be in contention to front the British & Irish Lions after Sale Sharks coach Alex Sanderson gave a positive update on his injury. 

De Jager came off second best in a freak training-ground accident at English Premiership club Sale Sharks last week, leaving the 45-Test Springbok lock with a fractured leg and injured knee.

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It was initially feared that he could be sidelined for several months, thus ruling him out of the Springboks’ three-Test series against the British & Irish Lions.

But in some encouraging news for both the Boks and Sale, Sanderson has revealed that De Jager is in London having the injury checked out and is hopeful of being sidelined for just six to eight weeks.

‘He is actually in London now finding out,’ Sanderson explained. ‘Lood wants to be back in six weeks if it’s a clean break on his tibia. 

‘If it is just down to this clean break it could be six to eight weeks and I’m crossing my fingers and saying my prayers for that, but there is something wrong with his knee and his meniscus, a meniscal tear or whatever. So that will determine the length of the rehabilitation period for him, so we will see later.

‘Lood is massive to us. Not just as a player that he is but he is a great leader and well liked, well respected within the squad so we will miss him for all of that.’

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