France flanker Oscar Jegou will miss the Six Nations decider after he was banned for four games on Wednesday for sticking his hand in the eye of a Scotland player in last week's loss.
That defeat means France will almost certainly need to beat England on Saturday, in the last game of this year's competition, to retain their Six Nations title.
Jegou, who has started all four France matches in this year's Six Nations, scored a try in the dying minutes of the 50-40 loss at Murrayfield.
After the game he was cited for "reckless contact with the eye(s)" for an incident in the 59th minute when he reached across a maul and put his hand in the face of Scotland hooker Ewan Ashman, a move match officials did not spot.
The Six Nations disciplinary committee on Wednesday ruled that Jegou deserved a red card.
They handed the 22-year-old La Rochelle player a six-match ban but immediately shaved off two games because of Jegou's "good disciplinary record" and the fact he didn't cause any lasting injury.