Clermont Auvergne have confirmed that Lee Byrne sustained a broken vertebrae in the Heineken Cup at the weekend.
It is not known how long the Wales international will be on the sidelines for.
A statement on Clermont's website said: "He suffered a broken bone in his fifth vertebra.
"The length of his unavailability will be ascertained in the coming days by complementary examinations but we will not be seeing Lee Byrne again until at least the beginning of 2013."
Clermont are top of their Heineken Cup pool.
