Heart condition led France centre Virimi Vakatawa to retirement

Racing 92 and France centre Virimi Vakatawa had to retire from the game at the age of 30 due to a heart condition.

France head coach Fabien Galthié was part of an emotional press conference organised by Racing 92 on Tuesday.

Racing revealed that the French National Rugby League had pushed for his retirement due a condition he was diagnosed with back in 2019. Even though the exact nature of the condition was not revealed, it is learnt that any high intensity sport could put his life at risk.

"I wanted to come here today to pay homage, in the name of French rugby, for all that [Virimi] has done," Galthié said.

"Destiny has dictated that Virimi played his last two games for Les Bleus in Japan. He has been a key player in our adventure, in our history; he has been formidable.

"Those last two matches, he was with us in Japan. He was again incredible. This example, we must share it with our children and tell them to play every game as if it were their last."

Vakatawa had two separate stints with Racing 92 and featured in 32 Tests for France since his debut in 2016. He also featured for the France 7s side that competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“I got up at 8am this morning and I knew I wouldn’t be on the pitch," said an emotional Vakatawa during the press conference.

"The hardest thing was to tell my team-mates yesterday that I had to stop playing.”