France suffer Parra blow

Clermont-Ferrand - French international scrum-half Morgan Parra will be out of action for up to six weeks after the Clermont star suffered a fractured bone in his shoulder during Top 14 action against La Rochelle on Saturday.

The 2010 French champions confirmed the news on Monday, which means Parra will miss upcoming European Cup matches against English clubs Saracens and Sale, as well as international Test fixtures against Fiji, Australia and Argentina in November.

Clermont won the fixture 30-10 to top the table by three points ahead of Toulon.

"It's obviously a huge blow for the club, especially at this time of the season when everything is picking up," said Clermont manager Jean-Marc Lhermet.

"We have a strong enough squad to cope with these kinds of injuries. Ludo Radosavljevic has had a good start to the season and Thierry Lacrampe did well when he came on against La Rochelle.

"It's reassuring when players like them can reach those levels." added Lhermet.