Lions assistant coach Julian Redelinghuys rues Kade Wolhuter's latest injury setback

The 23-year-old playmaker has faced a series of injuries throughout his career, and the Johannesburg team hopes this latest issue isn't as severe as previous setbacks.

Since transferring to Gauteng from Western Province last year, Wolhuter has thrived within the Lions' system whenever given the chance to exhibit his attacking prowess.

This was evident in the Lions' 55-21 victory over Edinburgh at Ellis Park over the weekend, where Wolhuter excelled in the first half before limping off in the 33rd minute.

As a result, he was excluded from the Lions' tour squad for upcoming matches against the Dragons, Zebre, and Leinster.

"He has a strange injury and they [doctors] had to go back to the books to find out what it is," Redelinghuys told @rugby365com. "So, the duration is still a bit unknown. I don't think it's long-term."

"Unfortunately, we can't take a guy on tour that is not ready for the first game. We are hopeful that he might join somewhere if his rehab goes well."

"He is a player that made a massive step up in the Currie Cup and you can just see he is building with confidence and the guys are also enjoying him."

"He is just another tough guy playing lekker Lions rugby and he suits the team well."

"It's actually sad to have him injured now, but it has opened the door for someone else to come in."

"We've been talking about a squad effort and we are relying on all the guys at the union to prepare us for a game. It will take a squad effort in this long season that we have."

"It's unfortunate for him, but we are excited for the guy stepping in."

Additionally, Redelinghuys confirmed that Springbok lock Ruan Venter will be out for an extended period following shoulder surgery.

"The feedback that we have is that the operation went really well. He is a strong man and he's got a strong mindset. I'm sure he will recover really well."

"The way I have it or understand it is that the op went better than expected. We are looking forward to having him back as well, but that is in the long-term because there is an operation involved."

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