Biarritz must do without Harinordoquy

Biarritz No.8 Imanol Harinordoquy has been ruled out of his club’s European Cup trip to Saracens on Sunday due to a knee injury, the Basque club announced on Saturday.

“Too tight in terms of his preparations, Imanol Harinordoquy cannot make the trip to face Saracens this weekend,” the club wrote on their website.

“He has been replaced on the substitutes bench by Jean-Baptiste Roidot.”

Harinordoquy was unable to train this week and has not played since damaging ligaments in his left knee during a European Cup encounter with Treviso on December 16, 2011.

Despite that, he has been named in the 30-man squad selected by new France coach Philippe Saint-André to prepare for the 2012 Six Nations.

AFP