Virimi Vakatawa not allowed to play in France due to heart condition

Virimi Vakatawa is not allowed to continue playing in France because of a heart condition, his club doctor said.

Racing 92 doctor Sylvain Blanchard said Vakatawa is suffering from a condition likely to put him at risk playing high-intensity sports.

Blanchard added it was first detected before the 2019 Rugby World Cup but has been "progressively deteriorating".

"When he was being monitored, it became clear during the last examinations that his pathology had evolved, so much so that cardiological experts were called in to assess the situation," Blanchard said.

"The opinions were unanimous: We should not take the risk of letting him continue to practise high-intensity sports."

Vakatawa, 30, won 32 caps and scored ten tries for France. He is only barred from playing in France and it is unclear whether he will try to play abroad.

"It's hard for me to talk in front of everyone," Vakatawa told a news conference. "I got up at 8am this morning and I knew I wouldn't be on the pitch. The hardest thing was to tell my team-mates yesterday [Monday] that I had to stop playing."

France coach Fabien Galthie, who also attended the news conference, was in tears.

"He was a key player in our adventure, in our history, he was great. The last three matches were with us in Japan. He has been great again," he said.

"We have to share this example with our children and tell them to enjoy each match as if it were the last."