"The latest elements concerning his injury are finally favorable to surgery. His unavailability should therefore be for a period of 4 months following the intervention scheduled for the beginning of next week", specified in a press release the Hérault club. .
The experienced player of the Blues, who passed additional examinations in the middle of the week, thus puts an end to his season.
He will not play again until the start of next season with Montpellier, at the top of the championship two days from the end and who will play their European Cup quarter-final on Saturday (6:30 p.m.) against La Rochelle at the Marcel-Deflandre stadium.
Willemse, 29, was injured last Saturday during the defeat (43-20) conceded in Lyon during the 24th day of the Top 14.
The French international (24 caps, two tries), of South African origin, will therefore also not participate in the French team's summer tour of Japan, where the Blues will play two test matches against the "Brave Blossoms" on July 2 and 9.
The powerful "Chelemard" (2.01 m, 128 kg), naturalized since November 2018, has established itself since the arrival of Fabien Galthié at the head of the France team as a basic element of the Blues.
He started all five matches of the last Six Nations Tournament, which France won, with the Grand Slam at stake.
The experienced second line is one of the keystones of the MHR pack, which he joined in 2015 from Grenoble.
© 2022 AFP