France captain hit by shoulder injury

31 December 2009 (07:25)

Thierry Dusautoir © Action Images

France international captain Thierry Dusautoir looks set to miss Toulouse's Top 14 clash with relegation-threatened Bayonne after injuring his right shoulder in the 22-11 victory over Perpignan on Wednesday.

The backrow forward had to go off in the 44th minute of the match between Toulouse, the 2008 champions, and their successors as champions.

Toulouse manager Guy Noves explained that Dusautoir had already been suffering from a shoulder problem prior to the match.

"With two young players (Romain Millo-Chluski and Yohan Maestri) in the back row we needed Thierry Dusautoir to give them reassurance despite not being 100 per cent," said Noves.

"He is an extremely important part of the squad, he will no doubt not be fit to play on Sunday against Bayonne. We will see on Thursday if exams are needed," added Noves.

Victory saw Toulouse leapfrog Perpignan in the standings moving into fourth place with the losers slipping from second to fifth behind leaders Castres.

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