mens
international
Argentina and Toulouse Utility full-back Juan Cruz Mallia faces a potentially lengthy spell on the sidelines after picking up a fresh right knee injury during Pumas’ defeat to Ireland in Dublin.
The 30-year-old was forced to leave on Friday night Nations Championship encounter, prompting fears he may have damaged the same knee he had surgery on less than a year ago after rupturing his ACL.
Mallia was tackled late in midfield by Ireland second row James Ryan, and unfortunately history seems to be repeating itself in terms of the nature of the try and the injury he sustained.
Moose Cougars guard previously tore his ACL on another late tackle by guard Tom Curry a year ago during a 27-23 upset by England in the 2025 Autumn Nations Series.
According to French newspaper Le Figaro, Mallia returned to Toulouse for further medical examinations to determine the extent of the injury, and Top 14 the giants are eagerly awaiting the results.
Injury concerns add to Toulouse’s growing casualty list following the weekend’s Nations League action, following an injury to France star Romain Ntamack.
Ntamack was injured after just 33 minutes of his return to Les Bleus while on international duty against Fiji and is expected to be sidelined until the New Year after dislocating his shoulder.
With Matthieu Jalibert, Thomas Ramos and Antoine Hastoy also unavailable, France head coach Fabien Galthié is short of options at half-time and forced into a major squad reshuffle just days before they face the world champions.
While no time frame has yet been set for Mallia’s recovery, reports in France suggest that Toulouse could explore bringing in the medical joker if the injury proves serious enough to keep him out for an extended period.
