Former All Blacks wing Zac Guildford will miss up to four weeks of rugby after he and Wales international Jonathan Davies were assaulted in Clermont on Sunday.

Guildford, whose off-field indiscretions have plagued his career, was left with a badly bruised jaw after being kicked in the face by one of three assailants.

The two players had been out celebrating Clermont's Top 14 victory over Racing Métro along with the birthday of teammate Jamie Cudmore, before heading home in the early hours of Sunday morning.

They were then set upon by three thugs in an attack that mirrored that of three French rugby players just six weeks ago.

Despite his prior record, Clermont's sporting director Jean-Marc Lhermet was at pains to stress that Guildford was nothing more than a victim in the attack.

'We have had nothing to reproach him over since he arrived,' said Lhermet. 'It is true we would have preferred he didn't find himself mixed-up in this but similarly I wouldn't want aspersions made regarding his past.'

Davies was unhurt in the attack, while Guildford received treatment at a nearby hospital. The three assailants have yet to be identified or arrested.

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