Stuart Hogg faces an anxious wait as cheek injury is assessed

Stuart Hogg faces a nervous 48-hour wait to discover whether his cheek injury could end his British and Irish Lions tour.
Stuart Hogg is led from the fieldStuart Hogg is led from the field
Stuart Hogg is led from the field

The Scotland full-back suffered a hugely unlucky facial injury in Saturday’s impressive 12-3 win over the Crusaders, running face-first into Conor Murray’s elbow.

The Glasgow star collided with Murray as the Ireland scrum-half attempted to move out of Hogg’s way, and head coach Warren Gatland has sent the full-back to a specialist to determine the extent of the damage to his cheek.

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Sam Warburton has shaken off his ankle problem to captain the Lions in tomorrow’s Highlanders clash in Dunedin, while Jared Payne is fit to start at full-back as boss Gatland assesses his options at 15 given Hogg’s injury doubt.

“With Stuart Hogg, we’re getting a specialist to have a look at that cheek of his, to get some idea in terms of how serious an injury that is,” said Gatland.

“We’re hoping he’ll be okay.”

Centre Jonathan Davies must complete return-to-play protocols after a head knock, while Ross Moriarty is still carrying the after-effects of a back spasm. Dan Biggar is fit to return and start at fly-half having completed all the relevant concussions testing. Murray suffered a suspected dislocated finger against the Crusaders but it is only a minor injury.