'I felt a click': Struggling Lions sweating on captain Francke Horn

To misappropriate a neolithic apophthegm, the Lions have added injury to insult. Having suffered their fifth consecutive loss, and 12th in all competitions this season, the hapless Ellis Park-based franchise could be without inspirational captain Francke Horn for some time.

Horn hobbled off with a knee injury 15 minutes into their 31-42 United Rugby Championship loss to Benetton in Johannesburg at the weekend – another horror show of epic proportions for the team.

Coach Ivan van Rooyen provided the usual platitude of excuses about errors and soft moments by the players, but it was the injury to the 25-year-old No.8, Horn, that will cause the biggest alarm.

With 27 tries in 90-odd appearances, he has been one of the team’s most consistent and prolific performers.

“It was at a line-out,” Horn said when questioned about the injury.

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Connacht

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“They [Benetton] attempted to sack me, and my leg got stuck. I felt a click.

“The physio managed to click it back and said something about a patella [also known as the kneecap].

“[However,] it was just too unstable to continue.

“We will only know tomorrow [Sunday] or Monday after the scans, the severity of the injury.”

The skipper echoed the coach’s sentiments that the high error count (18 turnovers and 16 missed tackles) cost them against a Benetton side featuring upwards of 10 Italian internationals – including forwards like Simone Ferrari, Niccolo Cannone, Federico Ruzza, Giosue Zilocchi and backs like Juan Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello and Leonardo Marin.

“The team will continue to make an effort,” he said about their remaining matches – against Connacht, Scarlets and Ospreys, all teams above them on the standings and equally as desperate to get back into the play-off race.

“You can’t ask more than effort and willingness,” the captain said, adding: “However, accuracy must accompany that.

“We have spoken about it [accuracy] a lot, but under pressure, we have to execute our plans.

“That will be the focus for the next three games. We will continue to play the way we want to play, but with fewer errors.”

Van Rooyen is adamant that they still have a chance of making the play-offs, even if it is an outside, mathematical opportunity, with the goodwill of other teams also needed.

Although the Johannesburg-based team managed to salvage a bonus point for four tries, the result dealt a heavy blow to their quarterfinal aspirations.

Even bonus-point victories in all three remaining pool matches will, in all likelihood, still leave them short of finishing in the top eight.

“We will always back ourselves at home,” the coach said, adding: “A big result [win] would have been a big step forward, but the loss is part of the disappointment.

“I still believe we have three wins we can look at, but that is close [to getting us into the play-offs].

“The reality is, all the teams are playing each other and will sort each other out.

“We knew we had four games against teams that compete for those sixth, seventh and eighth positions on the standings.

“We are still alive, but we need to be better.”