VIRIMI VAKATAWA TO MAKE FIJI DEBUT AFTER FRENCH BAN ENDED CAREER

Virimi Vakatawa will make his Fiji debut against England on Saturday, more than two years after French medical authorities barred him from playing domestic rugby due to a cardiac condition. The 34-year-old centre, who earned 32 caps for France, said he had abandoned any prospect of international rugby after a panel of doctors determined his heart health had deteriorated sufficiently to make elite sport unsafe within France in September 2022. Vakatawa has been called into Fiji's squad as a replacement for Semi Radradra, who sustained a knee injury in the previous weekend's match against Wales.

The French prohibition applied only to domestic competition and did not prevent Vakatawa from playing abroad. He subsequently signed for Bristol for one season, having been cleared by the club's own medical experts, before joining the Fijian Drua in January. Vakatawa is eligible to represent Fiji under World Rugby's birthright rule, which permits players to change national allegiance to a country where they, their parents or grandparents were born, following a three-year stand-down period. He was born in New Zealand but relocated to his parents' native Fiji during childhood and made his final France appearance against Japan in July 2022.

Vakatawa told BBC Sport he had not expected a Test comeback when French officials halted his career in his home nation. He stated that upon the ban, he believed international rugby was finished for him, though he anticipated continuing to play at club level. He expressed surprise at his selection for Fiji, describing the opportunity to represent the country as significant.