Pat Lambie sustained an eye socket injury while in action for Racing 92, but the French club has confirmed that it is not another concussion. CRAIG LEWIS reports.

Lambie took a blow to the head during the early stages of Racing’s Top 14 clash against Oyonnax on 30 December, and had to be taken off the field.

Considering Lambie’s history with concussion, it may have sparked fears over his wellbeing, but the French club confirmed the nature of the injury to SARugbymag.co.za.

‘There is no concussion for Pat Lambie, he only had an orbital floor injury,’ press liaison Teddy Boutaayacht confirmed.

The recovery time for such an injury could be several weeks, and it means Lambie may miss facing his old team, when the Sharks play Racing in a Super Rugby warm-up game on 3 February.

Lambie has impressed at Racing since moving to the French club last year after ongoing struggles with concussion and ‘post-concussion syndrome’.

The flyhalf was ruled out of action for several months when he was involved in a heavy collision with Ireland No 8 CJ Stander, in the 2016 June series against France. He then endured another extended spell on the sidelines when he suffered a head knock in a Super Rugby game against the Kings on 13 May last year.

That setback forced Lambie to seriously consider his next best step, which eventually led to the decision to take up a contract with Racing 92.

‘There was a point this year [2017] where retirement was on the cards, briefly,’ he told SA Rugby magazine last year. ‘But once the emotion of it all had passed, I realised how much more I would still like to do on the rugby field, and it became very easy to get excited about playing again.

‘The injuries played a big role in my decision [to head to France],’ Lambie added. ‘Mentally, it felt as though I needed a complete change; a new start. The opportunity of joining Racing 92 was massive, and exactly the complete change and new start that we were looking for.’

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