Michalak Doubt For Semi Final Clash With Biarritz.

European champions Toulouse’s hopes of making May’s final received a blow when it was revealed French fly-half Frederic Michalak was a major doubt for this weekend’s
semi-final.
with Biarritz.

The 21-year-old Six Nations Grand Slam winning playmaker is
suffering from
an ankle injury and Toulouse coach Guy Noves said he had already
mentally
discounted him from playing against their French rivals in Bordeaux
on
Saturday.
“Michalak is coming back to fitness but only slowly,”
said Noves.

“However in my head he is not going to be a member of the 22. It would be foolish to count on him being fit and if he
really is match
ready by the end of the week then he will have to prove it to
me,” he added.

Biarritz for their part are pessimistic that centre John Isaac
will have
recovered from a groin injury by the time of the match, though they
are more
confident that French international flanker Thomas Lievremont will
have got
over the vertebra problem he sauffered against Perpignan last
Saturday.

The winners of the match will play either Ireland’s two-time
finalists
Munster or English champions Wasps in the final at Twickenham on May
23rd.

AFP – 2004.