Cape Town - The injuries could not have come at a worse time with the Sharks fighting for their Super Rugby lives, but it appears that Gary Gold's charges are in the middle of a backline crisis.

Fullback, in particular, looks problematic and the news coming from SA Rugbymag on Wednesday was that Springbok Willie le Roux faces around "four to six weeks" out with a shoulder injury he is believed to have picked up in the final Test against Ireland in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

Le Roux was yellow-carded in that match for a dangerous tackle and would have missed the Lions match through suspension, but his injury will be extremely concerning to Gold as he plots his way to the playoffs.

Then there is Joe Pietersen, who broke his collar bone while playing 10s in Mauritius recently.

Pietersen could well be out for the season, leaving the Sharks with a lot to think about.

While nothing has been confirmed (the Sharks were due to send out an injury report later on Wednesday) it appears that Lambie will not feature against the Lions as he continues to recover from a concussion.

That means that Garth April is favoured to start at flyhalf against the Lions, while Gold's options at fullback include Odwa Ndungane and Lwazi Mvovo.