A blow for Stade Toulousain and France: international back-rower François Cros has announced that he has undergone further surgery on his left knee. Held back by chronic pain since the start of the season and the opening round at Clermont, the player, a France regular, sees his spell on the sidelines lengthen, with no precise return date yet set.

François Cros, 31 and with 39 caps, revealed on his social media (Instagram story), on Monday 10 November 2025, that he had been operated on his left knee, describing it as a “little knee revision“. The procedure follows recurring problems with damaged cartilage and bone oedema on the tibia and femur, which had already kept him off the pitch since the opening round of Top 14 in September, at Clermont.

An undisputed starter and a precious presence in the French pack, François Cros’s absence is damaging for the current Top 14 leaders, but also for head coach Fabien Galthié, who was unable to call on him for the first autumn test against South Africa, lost last Saturday (32-17). His role as a tireless tackler and his work in the collision areas made François Cros an indispensable player during the 2022 Grand Slam and the 2025 Six Nations triumph.

While the exact nature of the operation has not been detailed and the player has not said how long he will be out, this trip to the operating table means that Stade Toulousain, currently top of Top 14, will have to do without their flanker for several more weeks.