Bordeaux-Begles’s France scrum-half Maxime Lucu is at risk of missing the start of the Six Nations with a knee sprain, his club coach Yannick Bru said on Wednesday.
The injury comes after Lucu, 32, played the full 80 minutes of Bordeaux-Begles’s French Top 14 win over Racing 92 on Saturday.
“If he works hard, it will be four weeks,” Bru told AFP. “If not, it will be six.”
France start the defence of their Six Nations title on February 5 against Ireland in Paris.
Lucu had been expected to compete with La Rochelle’s Nolann Le Garrec for a place on the bench as back-up to the returning Antoine Dupont.
Bordeaux-Begles play a Champions Cup pool stage match against Northampton on Sunday, in a re-run of last year’s final.
Club captain Lucu has formed a consistent half-back partnership with stand-off Matthieu Jalibert in recent seasons, with the climax coming in May’s title success, the team’s first major trophy.
“That’s a massive loss. He’s one of, if not our most important player, as well as Jalibert,” Bordeaux-Begles’s South Africa back-rower Jean-Luc du Preez told AFP on Wednesday.
“And having him as a general and then Jalibert is massive for us.
“We’ll just have to be more on it, won’t we, as a team without Max there.”
Lucu’s absence means no reunion with Saints’ England half-back Alex Mitchell, after the pair played influential roles in last season’s decider in Cardiff.
“That’s a shame to hear about his injury, you want to play against the best,” Mitchell told AFP.
“Lucu is obviously definitely one of the best around at the moment.
“I think he showed that in the last year, especially in the final, how quality he was,” the 28-year-old added.
Superstar Dupont has been sidelined from France duty since last March after suffering a serious knee injury against Ireland in the Six Nations.
Since returning for club Toulouse in late-November, the 29-year-old has scored three tries in five games, including a stellar double against La Rochelle on December 28.
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