Sale's Rory Lamont has seen his hopes of making the Lions tour suffer a huge setback after he was ruled out for four months.
Full-back undergoes surgery to repair ankle ligament damage
Scotland and Sale full-back Rory Lamont has seen his hopes of making the British and Irish Lions tour suffer a huge setback after he was ruled out for four months.
Lamont has been in sparkling for club and country since returning to action after suffering a horrific facial injury in the Calcutta Cup match earlier in the year.
However the 26-year-old suffered severe ligament damage to his ankle during the Heineken Cup win over Montauban on Friday.
Lamont underwent an operation on Wednesday to repair the damage, but he faces a spell of four months on the sidelines.
That means Lamont will miss the RBS Six Nations and face a race against time to secure his place on the Lions' tour to South Africa in the summer.
Disappointing
Sale director of rugby Philippe Saint Andre said: "This is very bad news for both Sale Sharks and Scotland.
"Rory has been playing well since he returned from his facial injury he sustained in the Calcutta Cup last season. We will miss him but he is in the best possible hands and his rehab will start very soon."
Scotland head coach Frank Hadden added that the injury was a blow for his side ahead of the Six Nations.
He said: "This is very disappointing news for Rory and Scotland. We wish him a quick and successful recovery and we will be closely monitoring his progress."
