Clarke out ‘indefinitely’

Connacht captain Craig Clarke has been sidelined ‘indefinitely’ after suffering his tenth concussion in 22 months.

The scale of the concussions suffered by the New Zealander, in the Super 15 and since he arrived in Ireland at the start of the season, will undoubtedly again highlight the growing issue of head injuries in professional rugby.

Connacht coach Pat Lam yesterday confirmed Clarke will not play for the foreseeable future but remains hopeful he will recover. Clarke has taken over the Connacht captaincy since arriving on a three-year deal after skippering the Chiefs to successive Super 15 titles, but now faces an uncertain future.