Tuesday Round-Up

Parra blow: Clermont and France fans are this morning waking up to the distressing news that they will both be without the services of scrum half Morgan Parra for the foreseeable future, courtesy of a troublesome shoulder injury. Parra, who was forced off during last weekend’s win over La Rochelle, underwent an MRI scan on the injury late on Monday evening, where it was confirmed that damage of serious note had been done to his right shoulder. The expected timeframe for Parra’s absence currently stands at six weeks, meaning he would miss out on the majority of France’s November internationals, along with the opening rounds of the inaugural Champions Cup. In terms of Clermont, Parra’s injury coming just a week out from the opening round of Europe’s elite competition is far from ideal, especially when you consider second-choice scrum half Thierry Lacrampe is also expected to be injured for the weekend’s action. For France, Parra will now join the likes of Francois Trinh-Duc, Sofiane Guitone and Teddy Thomas on the injured list.

Du Preez out: Edinburgh have today confirmed that they will be without the services of Cornell du Preez for a substantial period of time, after the back rower suffered a serious lower leg injury. Du Preez lined out for the Scottish outfit against the Dragons on Saturday, but lasted just 26 minutes before he required the attention of the Scottish Ambulance service on the pitch. The South African was immediately taken to the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh for further examination of the injury, where it was determined the no.8 would require surgery to repair the damage. Having successfully undergone the knife since the incident on Saturday, Du Preez’s progress is being monitored by both the club and the hospital as they look to put together a rehabilitation program for one of Edinburgh’s more influential players.

Ryan Sheady