LA ROCHELLE suffered a hammer blow on Tuesday with news that key scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow will miss the European Champions Cup final against Leinster on 28 May with a hand injury.
“The hand is broken, it’ll take six weeks to fix,” the former All Black, capped 28 times, told AFP.
“It’s a shame, it’s bad timing but that’s the life of a rugby player.
“If we get to the final of the Top 14 (on 24 June), I might be available.”
Kerr-Barlow, 31, was replaced in the 53rd minute of La Rochelle’s 20-13 semi-final win over Racing 92.
The absence of the 2015 Rugby World Cup winner, who has been at La Rochelle since 2017, will offer up a window of opportunity for either Arthur Retiere, who came on the semi-final, or Thomas Berjon.
Another casualty from the semi-final held in the northern French city of Lens was Racing’s Scotland fly-half Finn Russell.
The Scot sustained a twisted knee and will be out for two weeks, with Racing still also in the running to make the Top 14 playoffs.
