Virimi Vakatawa, a former player for the French national rugby team with 32 caps, was banned from playing rugby in France due to a heart condition. He has now been called up by Fiji to participate in the Nations Championship this summer. At 34 years old, Vakatawa had played 32 times for France before being sidelined for his heart condition. After a year off, he resumed his career in England with Bristol.
Vakatawa was given the green light to return to play after a thorough examination by a group of expert cardiologists. He is now playing for the Fijian Drua in the Super Rugby league and is eligible to change his national sporting allegiance under a new rule adopted in November 2021. This rule allows players to switch nationalities if they have not been selected for their original national team for 36 months and have connections to the new country.
As Vakatawa’s last appearance for the French team was over three years ago and his parents are Fijian, he meets the criteria set by World Rugby to switch his allegiance and play for Fiji. The Fiji squad will be reduced to 32 players ahead of their first Nations Championship match in Cardiff on July 4th against Wales. They will then face England in Liverpool on July 11th and Scotland in Edinburgh on July 18th.
