XV of France: Toulouse Thibaud Flament announces that he will be “absent for several months”

The second row of Stade Toulouse Thibaud Flament, injured in a shoulder, will ultimately be absent “several months”, he indicated on social networks Thursday, and will miss the matches of the nations championship with the XV of France in November.

“A setback at the start of the season with a shoulder injury which required an operation. I will be away from the field for several months,” writes the French international second row (28 years old, 38 caps).

Affected during the Rouge et Noir's victory against Bayonne (45-34) on Sunday in the Top 14, Flament will miss the next days of the championship with his club, but also the Blues' four matches against Fiji, South Africa, Argentina and an opponent still to be determined for the finals weekend in London at the end of November.

Flament plans to return “in 2027”.

His long absence is all the more detrimental to his club and coach Fabien Galthié as it comes in addition to that of his second-line friend Emmanuel Meafou, seriously injured in a knee in September and sidelined for several months as well.

Since this first hard blow, Flament has been helping out as N.5, to the right of the second line, while the Toulouse staff must already cope without Clément Vergé, the usual recourse to this position, victim of a rupture of the cruciate ligaments during the pre-season.

Thibaud Flament, author of an excellent start to the season and who will become a father in the coming weeks, was a major asset with his versatility, while the reigning double world champions from South Africa will challenge the French in mid-November.

Without him or Meafou, the usually starting second line, Galthié could turn to Lyonnais Mickaël Guillard as No.5. The Castrese Tom Staniforth had his first selections in this position this summer and could also benefit from it, unless Fabien Galthié uses veteran Romain Taofifenua (36 years old, 59 caps), whose last match in Blue dates back to November 2025.

The choice will be more complicated on the left of the second line, with several possible options such as Toulouse's Joshua Brennan, Montpellier's Florian Verhaeghe or Palois' Hugo Auradou.

On the Toulouse side, manager Ugo Mola can count on the Argentinian Efrain Elias, the young Roméo Bonnard-Martin or the usual right pillar Joel Merkler, capable of sliding into the second line. The young second row Alban Portat (19 years old) was also added to the list of players qualified for the Champions Cup, the EPCR indicated on Thursday, while the recruitment of a medical joker could occur soon, the name of the New Zealander Jimmy Tupou coming back with insistence.