Overview
- Penaud felt a tension in his calf and was substituted at half‑time of Saturday's 34-32 loss to New Zealand after scoring France's opening try.
- The Fédération française de rugby confirmed on Monday that Penaud has left the touring squad, returned to France, and will miss the July 11 match in Brisbane and the July 18 game in Tokyo.
- Coach Fabien Galthié said the decision was precautionary to avoid a full tear and that Penaud stopped playing to limit further damage.
- France's specialist depth on the wing and at full‑back is now thin because Gaël Dréan and Grégoire Arfeuil were already unavailable, leaving only uncapped reserves Aaron Grandidier‑Nkanang, Mathis Ferté and Théo Forner as specialist options.
- Penaud's withdrawal removes a key attacking threat—he has 41 tries for France—and forces selection questions ahead of the Australia match with the FFR not yet announcing whether he will be formally replaced in the 42‑player squad.