French first-five Romain Ntamack has been ruled out of next month's Rugby World Cup after suffering a knee injury, the French rugby federation said.
Ntamack was scheduled to undergo a knee scan on Tuesday (NZ time) after limping off the field in Sunday's warm-up test against Scotland.
"Romain, our thoughts are with you. The entire group supports you and wishes you a good recovery," the federation posted on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.
"I'll be back," Ntamack posted earlier.
The loss of the flamboyant pivot is a major blow to Les Bleus, with the hosts kicking off their World Cup campaign against the All Blacks at the Stade de France on Sept. 8.
"Romain Ntamack, we will miss your flair, but there's no doubt you'll be close by and that this dream belongs to you as well," French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera also posted on the X platform.
Matthieu Jalibert and Antoine Hastoy are in line to replace Ntamack.
Reuters
