Lions' Marx leaves field injured in Wellington

Cape Town - Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx lasted just eight minutes of Saturday's clash between the Lions and the Hurricanes before leaving the field with a hamstring injury.

That will leave Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus a worried man with four Tests - one against Wales and three against England - coming up in June. 

Broadcasters at the ground in Wellington said at half-time that Marx was hopeful that the injury was not serious, but that he would only know more at a later stage. 

Marx, still just 23, only has 14 Test caps to his name but he is already considered one of the best hookers in the world. 

Should he be ruled out for the June Tests, the Springboks could turn to Test veteran Bismarck du Plessis while former national captain Adriaan Strauss has also hinted at coming out of retirement should he be needed. 

Chiliboy Ralepelle and Bongi Mbonambi, meanwhile, played back-up to Marx under Bok coach Allister Coetzee in 2017.