The Lions head into Saturday’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby against the Sharks, potentially without three key players.

Assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher has confirmed that lock Reinhard Nothnagel and winger Eduan Keyter are both under concussion protocols after sustaining head knocks in the 34-27 defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town.

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Darrien Landsberg is also a major doubt for the trip to Durban, with Loubscher confirming that the Zimbabwean lock picked up a knee injury in the same match.

While none of the injuries are believed to be serious at this stage, Loubscher acknowledged that Nothnagel and Keyter still need to complete the necessary head-injury protocols before they can be considered for selection. As a result, all three players could be ruled out of the Sharks encounter.

Their potential absence comes at a challenging time for Ivan van Rooyen’s side. The Lions arrive in Durban on the back of three consecutive defeats across all competitions, and the loss of key personnel would place further strain on a squad already searching for momentum.

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The Sharks in-turn are enjoying a resurgence in form under new head coach JP Pietersen. The Durban outfit carry confidence into the derby after recent victories over Saracens in the Champions Cup and the Bulls in the URC, adding extra edge to Saturday’s showdown.

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