Bordeaux - Prop forward Jefferson Poirot, who injured a knee in France's Six Nations defeat in Dublin at the weekend, will be out for three months, his club Bordeaux-Begles said on Wednesday.
Poirot, who was winning his 26th cap, was caught on the knee by the shoulder of Ireland prop Cian Healy and went off after 17 minutes on Sunday.
The club said that Poirot had undergone tests on Tuesday that identified ligament damage and will undergo surgery on Friday.
If he is out for three months, the Top 14 season is almost certainly over for Poirot, the Bordeaux club captain but he could still play in the World Cup in Japan which starts on September 20. France plan to announce their training camp squad on June 18.
Two years ago another Bordeaux player, the young fly half Matthieu Jalibert, ruptured a knee ligament making his France debut in Dublin.