France suffered a first setback in their Rugby World Cup campaign when wing Yoann Huget was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury on Sunday.
Huget sustained an injury to the cruciate ligaments in his right knee in his team’s Pool D opener, a 32-10 win against Italy on Saturday, coach Philippe Saint-Andre told French TV channel TF1.
Saint-Andre then tweeted: “Big thoughts to Yoann Huget, Exemplary player in his investment. Great lad. We are all with you, get well soon!”
A replacement, probably Remi Lamerat or Maxime Medard, is expected to be named later on Sunday.
The 28-year-old Huget, who has 41 caps with Les Bleus, has been a key member of the French squad since Saint-Andre took over from Marc Lievremont after the 2011 World Cup.
Four years ago, Huget had withdrawn from the World Cup squad after failing to provide his whereabouts to anti-doping authorities on three occasions.
France next face Romania and Canada at the World Cup, before concluding their group campaign against Ireland.
