Last Updated: Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:55
French man mountain Sebastien Chabal will miss Les Bleus' Six Nations opener against Scotland because of a back injury.
The giant lock has revealed he underwent tests on the problem area on Monday and will play no part in his country's tournament-opener in Edinburgh on Sunday.
The Racing-Metro second row, who will be replaced by the uncapped Yoann Maestri, has not trained with his team-mates since arriving at the French headquarters in Marcoussis on Friday.
The 32-year-old - capped 52 times by France - wrote on his Twitter page: "It's a back problem that's lasting a bit. Return home and rest. What a drag!"