The French captain has confirmed via social media that he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Ireland – but when will Antoine Dupont be fit again?
Regarded throughout the rugby world as the best player on the planet, Antoine Dupont is said by some to be the greatest player of all time.
But the 28-year-old scrum-half is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a nasty knee injury in France’s Six Nations win over Ireland on Saturday.
Dupont took to social media to confirm the severity of his injury, revealing he has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.
He said via Instagram: “The heart hurts even more than the knee when you have to leave your friends before the last step.
“I am proud of what we accomplished yesterday and with all my strength with you, you will do it. Rupture of the cruciate ligaments. This is the beginning of a new challenge, I’ll see you in a few months on the field.”
Dupont hobbled off with help from French medical staff about 30 minutes into Saturday’s game.
Le coeur est encore plus douloureux que le genou au moment de devoir abandonner les copains avant la dernière marche. Je suis fier de ce que nous avons accompli hier et de toutes mes forces avec vous, vous allez le faire.
Rupture des ligaments croisés. C’est le début d’un nouveau… pic.twitter.com/shQK4PSLsk— 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗗𝗨𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗧 (@Dupont9A) March 9, 2025
He had gone down holding his knee after Ireland second row Tadhg Beirne’s clearout landed on Dupont’s leg during a ruck.
Despite French protests, referee Angus Gardner did not review the incident with the TMO, believing Dupont’s injury to be an unfortunate accident.
This angered French coach Fabien Galthie, who later called the incident “reprehensible”.
Galthie added: “We are angry and we want an explanation; so, we have cited two players [Beirne and Calvin Nash].”
But Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby did not believe there was any deliberate foul play.
He said: “I think it’s just a rugby incident. Tadhg cleans out someone in front of Antoine Dupont and he gets hit off the back of it. It happens, unfortunately.”
When Will Antoine Dupont Be Fit?
Dupont’s injury is a particularly nasty one. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is on of two thick ligaments (along with the posterior cruciate ligament) that crisscross inside the knee joint.
The ACL provides support and stability to the knee while running, jumping, landing and changing direction.
With a complete rupture, as in Dupont’s case, the ligament will need to be repaired and reattached surgically.
As a result, recovery usually takes anywhere from 6-12 months.
This will rule Dupont out of the rest of the season, including France’s summer test series in New Zealand.
He will also most likely be out for the rest of 2025. This means he won’t play a part in club side Toulouse’s defence of the European Champions Cup.
At best, Dupont might be fit again some time after the start of next season in the autumn.
But more conservative estimates would mean he will not play again until next year’s Six Nations.
