Virimi Vakatawa barred from playing in France on medical grounds

Racing 92’s French international centre Virimi Vakatawa has been barred from playing rugby in France on unspecified medical grounds

HAPPIER TIMES: Racing's Virimi Vakatawa and former teammate Simon Zebo celebrate reaching the Heineken Champions Cup final in 2020. Pic: INPHO/Dave Winter

Racing 92’s international centre Virimi Vakatawa has been barred from playing rugby in France on unspecified medical grounds.

The Top 14 club announced on Monday that the medical committee of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby had ruled Vakatawa could not continue his playing career in France, but did not go into further details.

“Racing 92 has just been informed of the decision of the medical commission of the LNR to prohibit Virimi Vakatawa from continuing his professional rugby career in France,” the club said in a short statement issued on Monday afternoon.

"Particularly saddened by this terrible announcement, Racing 92 gives its full support to Virimi Vakatawa and immediately put in place all the arrangements to support its emblematic player as best as possible in these particularly difficult times."

The player, along with Racing’s sporting director Laurent Travers and president Jacky Lorenzetti, will attend a press conference on Tuesday at 12noon.

Vakatawa has been capped 32 times by France since his first appearance in 2016 - his last two international outings coming in the two-Test tour of Japan in the summer, and has scored 10 tries for Les Bleus.

But he was notably absent from the Racing 92 squad that beat Castres 25-19 on the opening day of the Top 14 on Saturday.

He had come over to France at the age of 17, and made his Top 14 debut in 2011. He had two spells at Racing, which sandwiched a run with the France 7s squad between 2014 and 2016, during which time he obtained French nationality and represented his adopted country at the Rio Olympics.

Depending on the nature of his medical condition, Vakatawa may be free to continue playing rugby professionally outside France.

Toulon hooker Christopher Tolofua spent two seasons at English Premiership side Saracens between 2017 and 2019 when a neck injury meant he was briefly unable to play in France. He had surgery to correct the problem which has allowed his return to the professional game in France.