Imanol Harinordoquy has withdrawn from France's Six Nations Grand Slam winners tour.
In-form No. 8 pulls out of Les Bleus summer tour
Imanol Harinordoquy has withdrawn from France's Six Nations Grand Slam winners tour of South Africa and Argentina through injury.
The 30-year-old No. 8 has been ruled out the summer tour with a broken rib and France coach Marc Lievremont has called up European champions Toulouse' back-row forward Gregory Lamboley as the Biarritz star's replacement.
Harinordoquy, who has been in outstanding form for club and country this season, underwent fresh examinations last week on his injured ribs, days after he had played through the pain barrier in Biarritz' European Cup final defeat to Toulouse on May 22.
And results have confirmed the 61-times capped Les Bleus ace will miss his second successive tour to the Southern Hemisphere after being absent for last summer's tour of New Zealand and Australia because of a shoulder injury
Lamboley, 28 and capped 13 times, wins his first call-up since Lievremont succeeded Bernard Laporte following the 2007 World Cup finals.
Harinordoquy's withdrawal follows close on the heels of a second Grand Slam hero, Toulouse centre Yannick Jauzion, who pulled out earlier in the week with an elbow injury and was replaced by Florian Fritz.
The French play South Africa on June 12 in Cape Town, an Argentine provincial all star XV in La Plata on June 18 and then the Pumas on June 26 in Buenos Aires.
