France skipper Antoine Dupont has confirmed he ruptured the cruciate ligaments in his knee during the stunning Six Nations win against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.
Scrum-half Dupont – widely regarded as the world’s best player – was helped from the pitch in the 29th minute after suffering serious knee damage at the Aviva Stadium.
Dupont posted on social media site X, saying: “The heart hurts even more than the knee when you have to leave your friends before the last step.
“I am proud of what we accomplished yesterday and with all my strength with you, you will do it. Rupture of the cruciate ligaments. This is the beginning of a new challenge, I will see you in a few months on the fields.”
France were furious with the incident which caused the injury and intend to refer Ireland pair Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Porter to the citing commissioner for possible retrospective punishment.
Les Bleus held a narrow 8-6 lead at the interval before blitzing their Guinness Six Nations title rivals – following the restart – to move into pole position for championship glory with a crushing 42-27 win.
