Clermont ace Smit ruled out for Munster tie

CLERMONT AUVERGNE, Munster’s Heineken Cup opponents in two weeks’ time, have been dealt a serious blow with the loss of John Smit through injury in a training-ground accident.

Smit, the inspirational hooker who captained South Africa to World Cup glory in September, sprained his right knee badly at training with the French side on New Year’s Eve and is expected to be out of action for five to eight weeks, according to the club website. Clermont confirmed that Smit’s ligaments, though injured, are not torn.

Although the Springbok captain will undergo further tests in coming days to determine the exact length of his lay-off, early indications are that he will not be fit to take his place against Munster in the vital Pool Five clash.

“The injury looks serious and John is out for several weeks,” said a club spokesman yesterday. “We don’t know yet if the ligaments have been damaged. Medical tests will tell.”

Munster will welcome any good news when it comes to their tough New Year’s Eve programme. The 2006 Heineken Cup champions face a tough six-day turnaround after playing Clermont in the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin as they then take on Wasps in what is likely to be the crucial pool game on Saturday January 19th in Thomond Park.

Clermont, of course, have plenty of strength in depth even if Smit cannot play; the experienced Argentina hooker Mario Ledesma is also on their books and will probably come in as a direct replacement for the South African.

The powerful French side face second-from-bottom Auch this Saturday in the French Super 14 and go into the game on the back of a good performance, having beaten Toulouse before Christmas on a scoreline of 21-17.