Two more potential British & Irish Lions suffer tour threatening injuries

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The British & Irish Lions tour is the ultimate prize for players from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales—a career-defining honour. But for some of rugby's biggest names, that dream could be slipping away.

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With head coach Andy Farrell gearing up to name his squad on May 8, several top contenders are sweating on their fitness at the worst possible time.

Zander & Matt Fagerson – Race against time

Zander Fagerson is now in a race against time to be fit for the British and Irish Lions’ summer tour after suffering a calf injury in training this week.

The tighthead prop had already missed last weekend's 52-0 Champions Cup defeat to Leinster due to concussion and has now been sidelined again, ruling him out of Glasgow Warriors' URC clash with Zebre in Parma on Saturday evening.

Warriors head coach Franco Smith admitted he couldn't provide a clear recovery timeline, only confirming that Fagerson will be out for the “foreseeable future.”

Smith offered a clearer update on brother Matt, confirming he'll miss the remainder of the season—and is almost certain to sit out any summer tour—after picking up an ankle injury at the Aviva last weekend.

George Martin – Season over

Leicester Tigers powerhouse George Martin is staring down the barrel of British & Irish Lions disappointment, with head coach Michael Cheika all but confirming the England lock won't play again this season.

Martin, who limped off in the 62nd minute of England's Six Nations win over France at Twickenham on February 8, had been nursing a knee issue. But it's a shoulder injury that's ultimately ended his season early, ruling him out of any chance of a late push for Andy Farrell's squad.

"George – I think you can almost put a line through him for the rest of the season," Cheika admitted during his press conference ahead of Sunday's clash with Bristol. "It doesn't look like he will come back any time soon. We will always keep trying."

When quizzed on what Martin's absence might mean for a potential Lions call-up, Cheika wasn't giving anything away. "I don't know about that bit," he shrugged. "I'd rather just talk about Leicester, and (you) make your own conclusions off that."

Duhan van der Merwe – A Race Against Time

Scotland's record-breaking winger Duhan van der Merwe is facing a race against time to be fit for the British & Irish Lions tour – and things aren’t looking great.

The 29-year-old powerhouse, who has crossed the whitewash an incredible 32 times in just 49 Tests, picked up an ankle injury early in Edinburgh's recent United Rugby Championship win over the Dragons.

While the club has stayed coy about the full extent of the damage, they revealed on Tuesday night that Van der Merwe is "expected to return during May" following MRI scan results earlier in the week.

That timeline means the big man is almost certain to miss the rest of Edinburgh's run-in – somewhere between three and five matches depending on their European Challenge Cup fate – just as Lions boss Andy Farrell prepares to finalise his touring squad.

Having started all three Tests on the 2021 Lions tour of South Africa, Van der Merwe looked a near-certainty once upon a time. But with Ireland's deadly duo James Lowe and Mack Hansen, England flyer Tommy Freeman, and his Edinburgh teammate Darcy Graham all in electric form, his chances are slipping fast.

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