Springboks and Golden Lions tighthead prop Julian Redelinghuys will undergo neck surgery on Sunday morning after sustaining a serious injury on Saturday.
Redelinghuys suffered a “dislocation” in the region of the C5 and C6 vertebrae during the Lions’ 55-17 Currie Cup semi-final defeat against the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
The incident happened early in the second half when Redelinghuys collided with Cheetahs hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld, who attempted to tackle to the tighthead.
The pair appeared to hit heads and as Redelinghuys went to ground Van Jaarsveld, clearly sensing something serious had happened, immediately called to referee Rasta Rasivhenge to stop play, which the official duly did.
Lions team doctor Rob Collins said in a statement: “He (Julian) sustained a dislocation of the his neck at C5/6 level during the game.
“He has minimal temporary weakness of his left arm. He is in traction at a Bloemfontein hospital and will have surgery tomorrow (Sunday) morning to reduce the dislocation and stabilise it.
“He is expected to make a full recovery.”