Season likely over for France star as yet more misery comes from Scotland defeat

France centre Nicolas Depoortere will likely miss the remainder of the season after dislocating his shoulder against Scotland on Saturday in the Guinness Six Nations, French outlet Sud Ouest have reported.

The 23-year-old was forced from the field shortly into the second half of Scotland’s comprehensive 50-40 win over Fabien Galthie’s side in Edinburgh, and scans on Sunday revealed he will need to undergo an operation on his right shoulder.

The centre had already been omitted from France’s squad for the final round of the Championship against England on Saturday at the Stade de France, but his absence will now be long-term, with his participation again this season looking unlikely.

Depoortere had already had his Championship punctuated by a calf injury, which ruled him out of rounds two and three against Wales and Italy.

The question for Galthie will now be whether he simply replaces Depoortere for Le Crunch with Pau’s Emilien Gailleton, or he replaces the entire midfield unit to accommodate Gailleton’s Pau team-mate Fabien Brau-Boirie. The Pau pair started the round two and three clashes with the Bordeaux-Begles duo of Yoram Moefana and Depoortere both injured.

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14 Mar 26

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Galthie could opt to maintain a club partnership in the centres rather than pairing Moefana and Gailleton together. He may also opt for changes after a surprisingly poor performance by Les Bleus, which brought their Grand Slam charge to a shuddering halt. They sit at the top of the Six Nations standings, level on points with Scotland, heading into the final round, where they will likely need a win to defend their title.

The injury is also a huge blow for Bordeaux, as they look to defend their Investec Champions Cup title. Depoortere’s team-mates will host Leicester Tigers in the round of 16 in April, while also fighting on the domestic front, being fifth in the Top 14 currently.