Update on injury suffered by Emmanuel Meafou isn't good – report

The uncapped Emmanuel Meafou is facing a race against time to get into the France squad for the upcoming Rugby World Cup after an injury forced him off the field during last Saturday’s Top 14 final win by Toulouse over La Rochelle.

The New Zealand-born second row, who grew up in Australia and is now wanted by France, missed the closing 20 minutes of the Stade de France title decider due to a heel injury that will reportedly sideline him for up to two months.

A L’Equipe update on the status of the injury read: “Toulouse second row Emmanuel Meafou, who has been complaining of plantar fascia since Saturday's Top 14 win over La Rochelle in Saturday's final, will be unavailable for about two months.

“It’s a hard blow for Meafou. Crowned champion of France with Toulouse at the Stade de France, the second row (2.03metres, 140 kgs) had to leave the field at the hour of play. He complains of a tear in the plantar fascia. The 24-year-old will be sidelined for about eight weeks.

“This is obviously very bad news for him, but also for the staff of France, who will announce on Wednesday a group of 42 players to begin the preparation on July 2 in Monaco for the World Cup.”

France are still waiting for a response from World Rugby regarding the eligibility of Meafou, a player who greatly interests Fabien Galthie. It was earlier this month when the French head coach stated: "In our minds, it's clear, we want to capture him.”

Toulouse have claimed that Meafou passed a language exam in 2022 in order to become a French citizen and it was earlier this year that Galthie called him into the Test squad to train as an additional player even though he isn't yet eligible to play.