Sheet metal forming processes may often involve intense forming sequences, leading to large strains and severe strain-path changes. Optimizing such technologies requires a good understanding and description of the anisotropic plastic behaviour of the deformed material, in connection with the evolution of its texture and microstructure. In this paper, we present the predictions provided by a model involving isotropic and kinematioc hardening and by a physically-based microstructural model, which introduces additional internal variables taking into accounthe directional strength of dislocation structures and their polarity. These models have been identified by using sequences of uniaxial traction and simple shear experiments, carried out on various steels (DC06, DP600, HSLA340) and aluminium alloys (AA5182-O, AA6016-T4). The microstructural model proved able predict the complex hardening behaviour displayed, especially by the ferritic steels, namely the transient work-hardening stagnation during reversed deformation in Bauschinger tests, the temporary work-softening during orthogonal tests, and the grain fragmentation at large monotonie strains.