BRISBANE, Australia — The French national men’s rugby team has confirmed that star winger Damian Penaud will not compete in the country’s two remaining matches on the 2024 Nations Championship schedule, after he picked up a damaging calf injury during France’s narrow opening-round 34-32 defeat to New Zealand over the weekend.
Penaud turned in an unforgettable individual performance to open the match in Christchurch on Saturday, crossing the try line just two minutes after kickoff to score his 41st international try. The try pushed Penaud further ahead as the all-time leading try scorer in French men’s rugby history, a record he already held entering the tournament. Despite the electric start, the winger was pulled from the game at halftime as trainers noticed discomfort in his calf, and further assessments confirmed the injury would require extended rest.
On Monday, French rugby officials officially confirmed Penaud’s withdrawal from the tournament squad. The injury rules him out of France’s upcoming match against host Australia in Brisbane this Saturday, as well as a July 18 test against Japan in Tokyo. As of Monday’s announcement, Les Tricolores have not yet named a replacement player to fill Penaud’s spot on the roster for the remaining two matches.
The injury marks another unexpected turn in Penaud’s 2024 international campaign: the winger had only just returned to the French squad ahead of the Nations Championship, after being dropped from the team’s roster for the 2024 Six Nations tournament earlier this year.