Champions Cup: Toulouse injury woes continue as France star ruled out of semi-final clash
Peato Mauvaka in action for France in the 2024 Autumn Nations Series
Toulouse and France hooker Peato Mauvaka will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his ACL, the club have confirmed.
He is the latest Toulouse big gun to pick up a serious injury, with captain and star scrum-half Antoine Dupont also ruled out with the same injury.
Peato Mauvaka ruled out for the rest of the season
In a statement posted on the club’s social media platforms, Toulouse said: “Following a knee injury that occurred yesterday during training, Peato Mauvaka will be sidelined for several months.
“The entire club is behind you and supports you through this ordeal, as it will throughout your recovery, Peato.”
À la suite d’une blessure au genou survenue hier à l’entraînement, Peato Mauvaka sera éloigné des terrains plusieurs mois.
L’ensemble du club est derrière toi et te soutient dans cette épreuve, comme il le fera tout au long de ton rétablissement Peato ❤️🖤 pic.twitter.com/v1r7QBqz3K
— Stade Toulousain (@StadeToulousain) April 30, 2025
This is a huge blow for Toulouse in their quest for a second Champions Cup title in a row, as Mauvaka has been a key man for Ugo Mola this season, with 15 appearances in all competitions.
The timeline also means he will miss France’s summer tour to New Zealand.
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It is now highly likely that fellow French international Julien Marchand will start this weekend as Toulouse face fellow Top 14 heavyweights Bordeaux in the Champions Cup semi-finals. Guillaume Cramont is also an option to come into the front-row, as is Thomas Lacombre.
Blair Kinghorn is also a major injury doubt ahead of the game this weekend, after he was taken off early into Les Rouge et Noir’s 52-6 win over Castres last Saturday.
“Blair Kinghorn suffered a direct blow to the knee,” Toulouse assistant coach David Mele said after their win over Castres.
“We don’t know if there’s a twist or not,” he continued. “We’ll see what the tests do. But it didn’t seem too serious.”