French star retires after injury battles

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Former France centre Wesley Fofana has announced his retirement, saying his body could no longer keep up with the demands of professional rugby.

Fofana (34), who spent his whole senior career with Clermont, played the last of his 48 Tests in August 2019.

He made his international debut in the 2012 Six Nations, scoring in a 30-12 win over Italy and followed up with further tries in his next three matches against Scotland, Ireland and England.

Of his 15 Test tries, his most memorable was arguably a stunning 70-metre solo effort in a losing cause against England at Twickenham in 2013. In May, the Parisian underwent surgery on his right bicep.

“After 15 years with Clermont and the great family of French rugby a chapter is turning for me,” Fofana said on social media.

“These past years were at times hard to manage. One obvious thing I noticed was that my body could no longer take the standard needed to play professional rugby now.

“So, I have made the decision to stop my career,” he added.

Fofana won the Top 14 in 2010 and 2017, was a losing finalist three times in the Champions Cup but won the Challenge Cup in 2019.

© Agence France-Presse

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Devin Hermanus