The La Rochelle man injured his right hamstring in Saturday’s European Cup defeat at Leinster (25-24). A tear has been diagnosed and should keep the player out for around three weeks, the club’s medical staff indicated. The setback comes at a bad time for a player who was hoping to nail down his place in the France squad for the opening match of the Six Nations against Ireland in early February.

The injury comes shortly after another muscle problem picked up in the autumn, when he had already been forced to leave the France camp during the November tour.

Head coach Fabien Galthié is due to reveal his 42-man Six Nations squad midway through the week. Le Garrec’s absence should open the door to another back-up scrum-half, with Jauneau and Lucu also unavailable.