Russell heads to France to ease Saracens full-back glut

Another break for a Guinness Premiership player at the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin, home of Clermont Auvergne. Happily for Brent Russell, it is a rather kinder one than Lee Thomas suffered there last Saturday afternoon. News that Russell, the former Springbok full-back, will join Clermont from Saracens came yesterday after confirmation that Thomas, the former Wales Under-21 centre, dislocated a shoulder in Sale's stunning 32-15 Heineken Cup victory away to the beaten French championship finalists of last season. Thomas will undergo surgery today in Cheadle and is expected to be out of competitive commission for three months.

Thomas joins a long-term casualty list at Sale that also includes the hooker Sébastien Bruno (ruptured biceps), lock Sean Cox (dislocated kneecap) and wing Oriol Ripol (broken arm).

Russell himself is no stranger to the treatment table. Indeed, the majority of his 14 months as a Saracen have been spent on one. He suffered a broken collarbone before the start of last season, just weeks after moving from Western Province, and shoulder and hamstring injuries restricted him to just 16 appearances during the rest of the 2007-08 campaign. This season he had not featured in the first-team plans of Eddie Jones, Saracens' new director of rugby. With a surfeit of options at No 15 – the England Under-20 international Noah Cato and American Chris Wyles backing up the front-line options of Richard Haughton, Dan Scarborough and Kameli Ratuvou – Jones agreed to release Russell from his contract.

"We have strength in depth across the back three and in the last two weeks we've seen the exciting steps forward that Noah Cato has taken, while Chris Wyles continues to impress after his arrival on secondment from USA Rugby," Jones said.

Russell, 28, a veteran of 23 Springbok appearances, said the opportunity to join Clermont had "come from left field". He added: "I think the French style of play will suit me."

The style of play Justin Marshall brought to his game for Montpellier last Friday night has landed the former All Black in trouble. The 35-year-old scrum-half has been cited for an alleged dangerous tackle on the Bristol wing Tom Arscott in the course of his team's 33-15 home win in the European Challenge Cup. He will appear before a European Rugby Cup disciplinary committee in Dublin tomorrow.

The committee will also consider charges against the Sale centre Rudi Keil (dangerous tackle) and lock Kris Ormsby (punching/dangerous charge) arising from the Sharks' Heineken Cup win against Clermont.

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Appearances made for Saracens by Brent Russell during 14 months at the club.

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