France delivered one of their greatest Six Nations performances to thrash holders Ireland 42-27 in Dublin. But rather than experiencing pure euphoria after a near-perfect performance, the French camp vented their anger after their talisman Antoine Dupont ruptured cruciate ligaments in his knee. The 28-year-old scrum-half was forced off in the first half after Ireland lock Tadhg Beirne fell on to his leg at a ruck. France head coach Fabien Galthie referred Ireland pair Beirne and Andrew Porter to the citing commissioner for possible retrospective punishment, which was later dismissed. "There was zero malice in it," former Ireland wing Simon Zebo, a former Munster team-mate of Beirne, told BBC's Six Nations Rugby Special. "Tadhg is a clean player and wouldn't wish any bad intent on anyone. The only thing is, it is not a great image. "There is a lot of power coming into that ruck and it looks worse than it is. No-one wants to see him [Dupont] out of the game as he is the best player in the world." Dupont, who was replaced by Maxime Lucu, provided seven assists and scored two tries before his tournament was cut short. Victory over Scotland at Stade de France will likely secure a first title in three years, with arguably the best player in the world now potentially having to lift the trophy in a tracksuit.