France will try to win the Six Nations without its talisman after captain Antoine Dupont ruptured cruciate ligaments in his right knee at the weekend.

France star Antoine Dupont is set to miss nine months of action after suffering a serious knee injury in the 42-27 win against Ireland at the Six Nations. It was initially reported by Planet Rugby that Dupont had ruptured his ACL and was facing a hefty stint on the touchline, with the player himself confirming that news later on Sunday .

I ruptured my cruciate ligaments against Ireland - The scrum-half was helped from the pitch in the 29th minute following an incident with Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Porter

France has cited Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Porter for their alleged roles in the serious-looking knee injury to Antoine Dupont in their crunch Six Nations match.

France's star scrum-half Antoine Dupont was forced out of his team's crucial Six Nations game against Ireland after sustaining an injury in the first half at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.